Jesus Luzardo is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA for the A's this season. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo suffers bizarre video game-related injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 5/2/21

Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesus Luzardo might have some explaining to do after suffering a bizarre video game-related injury.

On Sunday, the Athletics placed Luzardo on the IL with a left hand fracture. Manager Bob Melvin later stated that Luzardo broke his pinkie finger after hitting it on a desk while playing a video game before Saturday’s start.

Bob Melvin says Luzardo has a hairline fracture in the pinkie finger. He said Luzardo was playing a video game before his start yesterday and bumped his hand on a desk. Luzardo and staff were OK with him pitching and an X-ray showed the fracture after his start. #Athletics

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 2, 2021

Melvin said no timetable at this point for how long Luzardo might be out. "I think it's more let it heal." He expressed hope it might still allow for Luzardo to keep his arm in shape but unsure.

— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 2, 2021

Expect some people to have some doubts about this story. After all, video games have been known to cause frustration, and frustration can sometimes lead to some regrettable injury-inducing accidents. Still, even if it’s a freak accident, it’s one of the stranger ones we’ve heard about lately.

Luzardo, 23, is one of Oakland’s top young prospects. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out, but a fractured pinkie on his throwing hand probably doesn’t signal a quick return. That, and the manner of how it happened, has to be frustrating for the A’s.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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