ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Guardians breakout slugger Josh Naylor was held out of Cleveland’s game Saturday after experiencing numbness in his right ankle, the same one he severely injured in June 2021.
Naylor was scratched from the lineup before a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, and manager Terry Francona said he will be evaluated when the team returns home after the Sunday series finale.
“He was on his way to go get loose and said it went numb on him and it was hard for him to walk,” Francona said. “It’s hard to imagine that something significant happened when he was on his way to get loose, so that’s hopeful.”
In a game June 27, 2021, in Minnesota, Naylor was in right field and chasing a shallow fly ball when he collided with second baseman Ernie Clement on Jorge Polanco‘s single.
Naylor was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a closed fracture and dislocation of the right ankle. He underwent surgery later that week to repair those injuries, in addition to torn ligaments in the ankle, and missed the rest of the season.
Naylor is hitting .282 with 14 homers, 53 RBIs and an .846 OPS in 70 games this season.