Bo Naylor Exits Guardians-Orioles Game With Injury

Bo Naylor suffered an injury to his thumb as the Cleveland Guardians took on the Baltimore Orioles.

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians have suffered their fair share of injuries this season with big names such as Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber, Tanner Bibee, and Josh Naylor all missing time. There's only a week and a half left in the season but the injury bug is still making its way around the clubhouse.

Bo Naylor left the game in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night as David Fry suddenly appeared behind the plate. There was initially some confusion as to what happened to the younger Naylor brother.

The team announced shortly after the substitution that Bo left with a "right thumb contusion" on his throwing hand. It's unclear if this was something that had been nagging Naylor for a while or if there was an exact play when it occurred. 

Either way, an injury was present and was significant enough to impact Bo's play.

It'd be a shame if this was the end of the season for Naylor. He's been very impressive as a 23-year-old rookie catcher both defensively and at the plate. 

Naylor is hitting .318 with a .475 OBP, and .545 SLG including two home runs and eight RBI over his last 15 games. Fans were finally starting to get to see the impact bat that was dominating games in the Minor League this season before he was forced to exit. 

Jun 25, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) catches a throw from left fielder Steven Kwan (not pictured) but its too late to tag Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Andruw Monasterio (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, injuries such as this one happen especially to catchers. A player is bound to get beat up over time as they are tasked with catching and blocking a projectile being thrown 90-plus miles an hour at them.

Hopefully, this is just a precaution and we see Bo back in the lineup soon.