Rays prospect Tyler Zombro improving after line drive to head


Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro remains hospitalized in stable condition but is improving after being struck in the head by a line drive in a game Thursday.

Kevin Cash, manager of the parent club Tampa Bay Rays, said Zombro is able to get out of bed and walk with some assistance.

“Still progressing in the right direction,” Cash told reporters Saturday.

Zombro, 26, entered the game in the eighth inning against the Norfolk Tides and faced Brett Cumberland, who lined a 1-2 fastball off the side of the pitcher’s head. He was taken from the field on a stretcher and admitted to Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C.

The game was suspended with Norfolk leading 12-4, but it later was deemed to be official.

The Triple-A Bulls returned to the field Saturday night for the first time since the incident and beat Norfolk 4-0 on a one-hit shutout. At the game, fans signed a giant get-well card for Zombro.

Zombro has a 1-1 record with a 3.18 ERA in nine relief outings this season. He has an 11-4 record with a 2.79 ERA in 97 games (three starts) since joining the Rays’ organization in 2017.

A Virginia native, he played collegiately at George Mason.