White Sox Dan Jennings to wear protective padding in cap

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White Sox pitcher Dan Jennings was hit in the head once without padding by a line drive and the left-hander won't let it happen again.

The Sox reliever, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, has decided to add Safer Sports Technologies' SST Pro Performance Head Guard, a light hard carbon fiber partial insert with Kevlar padding.

When he was on the Miami Marlins last year, Jennings, 28, was struck in the head when the Pittsburgh Pirates' Jordy Mercer smacked a line drive right back at the left-hander. He remained conscious after the hit but left the field on a cart.

[SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]

"If it happened again and I wasn't wearing anything, I'd feel pretty stupid," Jennings told ESPN.com.

Earlier this year, White Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera lined a pitch back at the face of Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who left the game after the play.

Alex Torres, a reliever for the New York Mets, wears the most notable head protection, a thick foam padding that wraps around the outside of the cap, while he's on the mound.

Jennings is 1-2 with a 7.83 ERA in 22 games with the White Sox this year.

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