Soriano hit by pitch, breaks finger

Soriano hit by pitch, breaks finger
Cubs star outfielder to be sidelined at least six weeks
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano will be sidelined a minimum of six weeks after he suffered a fractured finger on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch by the Atlanta Braves' Jeff Bennett in the second inning Wednesday night.

X-rays revealed a minimally displaced fracture of his left fourth metacarpal, the team said. Soriano's finger will be in a splint for three weeks, and team officials said they will have a better idea after that as to when he can return. However, he is expected to be sidelined a minimum of six weeks.

With a runner on base and two outs in the Chicago second, Soriano was struck by the third pitch from Bennett, and the ball appeared to ricochet off the outfielder's face.

Soriano fell to the ground in obvious pain, but walked off the field under his own power, accompanied by Cubs athletic trainer Mark O'Neal.

Soriano, who leads National League outfielders in the All-Star balloting, was batting .283. He hit his team-leading 15th home run on Saturday, and was hitting .323 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs in his past 38 games since returning from the disabled list with a strained right calf on May 1.

The team was expected to call up outfielder Micah Hoffpauir from Triple-A Iowa to take Soriano's spot on the roster.

I almost choked up when I saw that on Sports Center, talk about a let down. Hopefully, the rest of the Cubs booming offense will continue to hit well.

I saw that live. Too bad for the Cubs.