Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with viral meningitis.
The MLB star visited the doctors on the night of Wednesday, May 7, after reporting sick MLB.com and the Associated press.
Smith is currently being treated at a Dallas-area hospital, where he is expected to remain for between seven and 10 days, media reported.
The diagnosis comes after Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday, May 4, due to a right glute strain and wrist inflammation.
Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said the focus now is on getting Smith “healthy and healthy” and that they will “reassess from a baseball perspective” once he gets out of the hospital.
“We know he is getting the best care he can get at this time,” Fenstermaker said MLB.com. “The doctors will advise us on what the activity looks like once he’s healthy, but right now it’s just getting healthy again and making sure he’s in a good place.”
In the meantime, according to the Associated pressRangers president of baseball operations Chris Young echoed similar sentiments, saying the team’s “only concern at this time is Josh’s health.”
“This is obviously an unexpected illness, but we hope he gets back to full health soon and rejoins the club,” he added, hoping for Josh Smith’s recovery.
It is also pertinent to mention that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes viral meningitis as an “inflammation (swelling) of the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord that may be caused by a viral infection.”
