TAMPA, Fla. — Rachel Balkovec, hired by the New York Yankees as the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a Major League Baseball team, was hit in the face by a batted ball during a drill and will be sidelined for up to a week.
Balkovec, the former University of New Mexico softball player, was struck Tuesday. She will not be available for her first scheduled spring training game Thursday with Class A Tampa.
The 34-year-old Balkovec didn’t sustain a concussion but has facial swelling, the Yankees said Wednesday. She was involved in a hitting drill in an indoor cage at the minor league complex when she was hurt.