PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — The San Diego Padres say bench coach Rick Renteria has had surgery to fix a facial bone after being hit by a line drive and could return to the team on Saturday.
Renteria was injured during batting practice on Thursday morning and had surgery that night. Padres manager Bud Black says Renteria was expected to leave the hospital on Friday.
The surgery repaired a bone in Renteria’s upper jaw that helps support the teeth and forms some of the eye sockets.
The 49-year-old Renteria is in his first season as San Diego’s bench coach. He was the Padres’ first-base coach for the previous three years.
Renteria hit .237 in parts of five major league seasons with Pittsburgh, Seattle and Florida.
