Dioner Navarro update

June 9, 200719 yr

MIAMI -- B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro both left Friday's game against the Marlins with injuries, but the good news is that both are in better shape than it first appeared.

Upton pulled up lame near first base as he tried to beat out a ground ball in the first inning. He remained on the ground for several minutes before hobbling off. He was diagnosed with a strained left quadriceps and is listed as day-to-day.

"[i'm] just a little sore," Upton said. "[We're] going to give it 24 hours, see how it feels tomorrow. I can move it, walk on it. It's not too bad."

Upton said he's never had a quad injury before, so he wasn't sure what to expect when it took place.

"I thought it was pretty serious when it happened," he said, "but after I laid there for maybe a minute or so, it was all right."

Navarro's injury looked more threatening. In the sixth inning, a pitch from Brian Stokes landed short of the plate and bounced up under Navarro's mask, hitting him square in the throat. Navarro dropped to the ground, writhing and holding his neck.

Trainers from both teams and several fire rescue personnel tended to Navarro near home plate. He was eventually strapped to a backboard and taken to Broward General Medical Center, where tests showed no serious damage, manager Joe Maddon said.

"He's fine," Maddon said, adding that Navarro was breathing on the field. "I can't give you much more specific than that, but he's going to be fine."

Raul Casanova, who was called up four days ago and is the only other catcher on the Devil Rays' roster, replaced Navarro. Maddon said he's not sure yet how long his starting catcher will be unavailable.

Stokes said he didn't see the ball hit Navarro, but knew something was wrong when the catcher dropped to the ground.

"Just a scary moment," Stokes said. "Tough to see, you know?"

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