Springer reaches out to injured DeShields

OAKLAND -- As one of his closest friends and a former roommate of Delino DeShields Jr., Astros outfielder George Springer took some time late Friday to talk via phone with DeShields, who sustained a fractured cheekbone when he was hit in the face by a pitch while playing for Double-A Corpus Christi.

"I talked to him just to see if he was doing OK, and make sure he was all right, and he's in good spirits and he wants to get back out there," Springer said. "He knows that he's going to have to hang out for about a month or so."

DeShields was placed on the disabled list and is expected to miss a few weeks of action. Springer said he couldn't tell anything was wrong with DeShields while talking to him.

"He seemed like he was in good spirits," Springer said. "He didn't really say anything bad about it. He just said it happened and he just said he got hit. I didn't really see it until he sent me a picture, and it looks bad. But he's a tough kid. He'll be fine."

Astros manager Bo Porter said he sent DeShields a text message.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him and we hope that he recovers and everything is OK," Porter said. "It's always very concerning when you get hit in the face area. A lot can happen there."