$Craig Albernaz suffered seven fractures in face after being struck by foul ball$

Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Orioles' Craig Albernaz suffered seven fractures in face after being struck by foul ball, forced to eat 'baby food'

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 15, 2026 8:01 AM ET

Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz better learn to like the taste of Gerber.

The manager will be eating much more of it and other soft foods after he suffered seven fractures due to a line drive striking him in the face during the Orioles' 9-7 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Craig Albernaz discusses injuries

"All in all, it's seven fractures in my orbital, cheek, area, and a broken jaw," the coach, who had a bruise on his left cheek, said Tuesday (h/t WJZ Sports in Baltimore). "[My jaw] doesn't have to be wired, no surgery. I just have to eat baby food for six weeks. So Gigi [his two-year-old daughter] will have a better diet than I do."

Albernaz credited the medical staff for its quick response. It immediately took the manager into the clubhouse after a foul ball flew off the bat of Baltimore second baseman Jeremiah Jackson and hit him in the bottom of the fifth inning. Per Jake Rill of MLB.com, the exit velocity of the ball was 70.6 mph. Ouch.

#Orioles manager Craig Albernaz says that he has 7 total fractures in his orbital area and a broken jaw after getting hit with a foul ball. He says he doesn't need surgery or his jaw wired shut but has to eat soft foods for 6 weeks. #Orioles #Birdland @wjz pic.twitter.com/uPNOmizEOl
— WJZ Sports (@WJZ13sports) April 14, 2026

Somehow, Albernaz was back in the dugout in the bottom of the sixth inning. The medical team clearly did an excellent job, and the 43-year-old manager must benefit from high pain tolerance.

Here's video, courtesy of MASN, of the foul ball off Jeremiah Jackson's bat that struck Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. Scary scene. pic.twitter.com/5OjR39MSkH
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 14, 2026

Jackson, meanwhile, apologized to the coach for the accident. The infielder hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning. After the win, he had someone track down the ball so he could sign it and gift it to the coach.

"Sorry, homie," it read (via CBS Sports' Mike Axisa).

Albernaz is in his first year as a manager for the Orioles. He's off to a decent start, as Baltimore is 9-8 through 17 games. He clearly is happy the injury won't force him to miss time with his new team.

However, he's displeased about the dietary change, and who wouldn't be? No one wants to eat goopy food for six weeks.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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