Pirates place Ryan Vogelsong on DL with facial fractures

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with facial fractures.

The team announced the move Tuesday, one day after Vogelsong, 38, left PNC Park in an ambulance after being struck in the head by a pitch. The team said after the game that he had suffered an injury to his left eye, including the orbital bone, and was admitted to Allegheny General Hospital.

Batting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, Vogelsong had an 0-2 count when a 92 mph fastball from Colorado Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles rode up and appeared to strike Vogelsong's head under his visor.

Vogelsong fell to the ground and stayed there until Pittsburgh head athletic trainer Todd Tomcyzk attended to him. He remained on the ground for several minutes, though Tomczyk said Vogelsong did not lose consciousness and does not have symptoms of a concussion.

A cart was brought onto the field, and Vogelsong was transported to the tunnel, where an ambulance pulled in to take him away.

"He remembers everything," Tomczyk said. "He did not lose consciousness, which is important. He was scared, yes ... but he is a very positive guy."

Vogelsong did experience some vision loss in the immediate aftermath, but Tomczyk said Vogelsong's eye was "somewhat open'' by Tuesday. Doctors believe there is no significant damage to the eye itself, though it could be a while before there is an official diagnosis, Tomczyk said. He said he expects the swelling to take significantly longer than the typical 3-5 days to go down.

Pittsburgh catcher Francisco Cervelli stopped by to check on Vogelsong on Tuesday and manager Clint Hurdle hopes to visit in the next couple of days.

"He's in a better place [now] than he was [Monday]," Hurdle said.

Right-handed pitcher A.J. Schugel has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Vogelsong's place on the active roster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.