Twins SS Kyle Farmer leaves game after being hit in face with fastball

Update — It sounds like Farmer avoided the worst-case scenario, but he’ll almost assuredly need to spend some time on the injured list.

April 12 — Very scary scenes at Target Field on Wednesday, as Minnesota Twins shortstop Kyle Farmer was struck directly in the face by a fastball from Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito.

Farmer walked off the field under his own power. The team announced that the shortstop suffered what’s being called a jaw injury, but they’ve yet to offer any further update on his status or timetable for his possible return to the field.

Farmer, 33, is in his first season in Minnesota after spending the last four years with the Cincinnati Reds in a part-time role. An Athens native, he was originally an eighth-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia by the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2013. He made his MLB debut four years later and hit .250/.309/.330 in parts of two seasons with L.A.

The Reds acquired him in the 2018 deal that sent Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati (remember that?), and he proved to be a solid and versatile infield option. He enjoyed his best season in 2022, hitting .255 with 14 homers in a career-high 583 plate appearances spread across just about every position on the dirt. Minnesota acquired him as infield depth over the winter, and he was quickly pushed into action due to injuries to both shortstop Carlos Correa and second baseman Jorge Polanco.

Should Farmer be sidelined for an extended period and Correa’s back continue to keep him out, it’s unclear where the Twins would go at shortstop. The team just called up top prospect Edouard Julien, but he mostly splits his time between second and first.