Michael Bourn has made a habit of telling his Braves teammates not to slide head-first, but now the center fielder has a thumb injury because he didn’t follow his own advice.
Bourn hurt his thumb head-first sliding Saturday and sat out yesterday’s game because it was sore and swollen. He’s hoping to rejoin the lineup Tuesday, but that’s no sure thing.
And as Bourn told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he feels pretty silly about it:
I know, and that’s what I tell them all the time--don’t slide head-first. And look what I did. Sliding head-first. I’ve done it before where I tore my ligament. I was just thinking, get to second, because I wanted us to continue to hit. Last thing I wanted was to get out right there, so in my head I was thinking to get to the bag. I knew I was going too fast. I don’t like to slide head-first, and that’s the reason why. It’s too risky. You go in too fast with your hands and you’ll [get hurt] more. Go in with your feet, you have a better chance.
Bourn actually remained in the game and later doubled, but now he’s slated to be examined by a hand specialist.