Padres prospect Paplham exits after liner to face

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a scary moment at Camelback Ranch on Sunday, Padres right-hander Cole Paplham was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Dodgers first baseman Aaron Bracho.

Paplham was evaluated on the field for several minutes but remained conscious and alert, according to Padres manager Mike Shildt. Paplham stood and walked to a golf cart under his own power, then was carted off the field.

¡°Our prayers are with him,¡± Shildt said. ¡°He was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing. ¡­ He was clearly in some pain, and obviously when something like that happens, a little bit rattled.¡±

Bracho¡¯s liner, clocked at 102.4 mph according to Statcast, appeared to strike Paplham on the right side of his face in the area of his cheek/jaw. It comes three days after Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller was also struck by a line drive on the same Camelback Ranch mound. Miller remains in concussion protocol.

Paplham, the Padres¡¯ No. 26 prospect, owns a 3.89 ERA across parts of two Minor League seasons with the organization, reaching Double-A San Antonio last season.