Lee Mazzilli, the New York Yankees’ guest instructor who was struck on the head by a batted ball during batting practice Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., will stay hospitalized for at least another night.
A Yankees spokesman said Thursday that doctors were “just being cautious” with Mazzilli.
Mazzilli’s wife indicated Thursday, through a Yankees spokesman, that her husband was in good spirits and had a much better day than Wednesday. He was appreciative of the reception from the baseball world and the people who have reached out to him in the past 24 hours.
Mazzilli was an outfielder for 14 seasons in the major leagues, 10 of them with the New York Mets.
The Yankees acquired his son, L.J. Mazzilli, in 2018 from the Mets, and he played for the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Wednesday’s incident happened during a batting practice session for players who weren’t on the trip for the Yankees’ game against the Houston Astros in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Mazzilli, a 1979 All-Star who batted .259 with 93 homers and 460 RBIs in his career, served two stints with the Mets (1976-81 and 1986-89) and also played for the Texas Rangers (1982), Yankees (1982), Pittsburgh Pirates (1983-86) and Toronto Blue Jays (1989).
Mazzilli, who turns 64 on Monday, also served as manager of the Baltimore Orioles for parts of two seasons (2004-05), compiling a 129-140 record. He was a coach for the Yankees under manager Joe Torre from 2000-03 and again in 2006.