St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong spoke too soon when he told reporters he avoided a concussion in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Wong said he sustained only a contusion after banging his head on a diving play in the fifth inning, prompting manager Mike Matheny to remove him from the game shortly thereafter, but tests confirmed the 24-year-old suffered a mild concussion, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Wong, who struck out in the top of the sixth, left the contest in the seventh inning and was omitted from the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader at Wrigley Field. Still, the former first-round pick was optimistic when broached about his condition after Game 1.
"I checked out fine," Wong said. "I was a little slow on some parts, but that just happens when you hit your head. I told them I don't feel concussed at all. I don't feel out of it. I have a little headache, but that's about it."
Matheny, however, refused to assess Wong's condition before receiving additional information from the club's medical staff.
"We're going to have to watch this real close," Matheny exclaimed. "We'll take another look [on Wednesday] and have to be real careful with him."
