We’re still not into the 2014 MLB Season, but we’ve already got one major injury, as Arlodis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds got hit in the face with a line drive by Salvador Perez. Chapman suffered fractures to bones in his nose and left eye and was taken to the hospital for testing and observation.

The unfortunate incident came in the sixth inning as the relief pitches couldn’t avoid the hit by Perez coming right at him. According to Reds manager Bryan Price, Chapman was conscious when he was taken off the field in the game between the Reds and the Royals.

It looked like Chapman took the hit straight in his left eye, immediatly collapsing to the ground as the medical personnel rushed to the field. Chapman’s father was also among the people who rushede into the field after the incident.

Chapman is one of the fastest throwing closers in the game, and had walked four Royals players in the inning prior to the hit he took to the face. The two-time All-Star had 38 saves last season for the Reds, and the game was called with the Royals leading the Reds 6-3.

In January, Major League Baseball approved protective cap for pitchers. The bigger, heavier caps were available for testing on a voluntairy basis through spring training, but it wouldn’t have helped Chapman in this case considering where the ball had struck him. Until there’s new information from the scan, all repoprting, assumptions and theories don’t mean anything.