OAKLAND -- Astros catcher Juan Centeno left in the third inning of an 11-1 loss in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader against the A's as part of the concussion protocol.
Centeno was hit in the mask by the follow-through of Jed Lowrie's swing. The catcher was leaning toward the left-handed batter's box to try to catch an offspeed pitch when Lowrie's backswing connected with his mask. Houston manager A.J. Hinch said Centeno was dizzy when he and a trainer came out to check on him at home plate.
"He's going to miss a few days," Hinch said. "Obviously we'll go through the concussion protocol and make sure he's OK. But he got a pretty nasty backswing on the back of the head. … He'll be assessed for a concussion and likely miss a little bit of time."
Centeno did not have a plate appearance before exiting the game. Max Stassi took over behind the plate and scored the only run for the Astros.