Thursday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles took a scary turn after former Chicago Cubs prospect Hunter Bigge had to be carted off the field. While Bigge was in the Rays' clubhouse, he was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Orioles' catcher Adley Rutschman. The exit velocity of the foul ball was 105 MPH. The game was delayed as Bigge was being attended to, but as he was being carted off the field, the young pitcher had a moment that instantly led to applause from the fans in attendance.
Horrible scene in Tampa, as Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the face by a 105 mph foul ball while in the dugout.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 20, 2025
He was stretchered off the field and gave a thumbs up as he exited.
Kevin Brown on the Orioles TV call for MASN. #MLB pic.twitter.com/FtkaA52oaC
Bigge was taken to a local hospital where he underwent further evaluation and stayed overnight. The encouraging news is that Rays' manager Kevin Cash confirmed that Bigge never lost consciousness, was alert and conversational as he was being attended to. The Rays are expected to provide another update on Friday.
Connor Seabold was the pitcher on the mound for the Rays when the incident occurred, and after the game, he opened up about what was felt as Bigge was being attended to.
“I mean, it's one thing to see that happen on TV. It sucks either way, but like seeing it in person and witnessing it in person, something like that, it's terrible, man,” Seabold told reporters. “Just having to keep pitching after that, too, was rough. I mean, it is what it is, but I'm glad that Biggs is doing all right. It's terrible.”
Ex-Cubs prospect shaken up during scary Rays game incident
Bigge made his Major League debut with the Cubs last season, appearing in 4 games with a fastball that can hit triple digits. Drafted by the Cubs in 2019, Bigge only had that brief run with the Major League team before being dealt at the Trade Deadline. Bigge was included in the trade with the Rays that saw the Cubs send Christopher Morel to Tampa Bay in exchange for Isaac Paredes. At the time, there was some surprise that Bigge was included in the deal, considering the need the Cubs had in the bullpen.
This season, in 13 appearances with the Rays, Bigge is sporting 2.40 ERA. Hopefully, he can have a smooth recovery and return to the mound shortly.
