Miami Marlins outfield prospect Stone Garrett will be held out of action for an indefinite amount of time as a result of a prank gone wrong.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill revealed over the weekend that Josh Naylor, Miami’s first-round draft pick last year, accidentally injured Garrett with a knife at the apartment that the two top prospects share in Greensboro, N.C.
“Naylor has a reputation of being a bit of a prankster, but this one obviously went a little too far,” Hill said, per Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Obviously, he’s torn up about it. This is a good friend, his roommate. They came into pro ball together, so they’re good friends.
“Hopefully it’ll just be a short term and [Garrett] can get back healthy and return to form and continue on his career.”
Naylor and Garrett both play for the Single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. Hill said Garrett has been placed on the disabled list with a cut on his thumb and the team is flying him to Miami to have the injury examined by a specialist.
“I don’t think you’ll see Josh Naylor goofing around with knives any more,” Hill added. “Other pranks were just pranks and nobody got hurt. Unfortunately, this one ended in an injury, which isn’t funny at all.”
Both Garrett and Naylor are considered two of the top five prospects in the Marlins’ minor league system. The 18-year-old Naylor has hit seven homers and driven in 36 runs this season while batting .262. Garrett was hitting .244 after recovering from an injury early in the season.
Accidental injuries seem to be a problem for the Marlins more than other teams. One pitcher in their organization once accidentally sliced his hand while working on his glove. Another player once injured his own hand by punching something in the dugout.
Never play with knives, kids.
Photo via Josh Naylor on Twitter
