Gomez says boy hit by foul 'in great spirits'

ATLANTA -- Carlos Gomez was visibly shaken when his foul ball struck a young boy in the head during the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game at Turner Field. But the Brewers outfielder gained some relief when he visited the young boy on Wednesday morning.

"Just went to see the young fan that was hit by my foul ball last night," Gomez said via his C_Gomez27 Twitter handle. "He was in great spirits and I had a chance to sign the ball."

The Braves have maintained contact with the family of the young boy, but an update on the unidentified fan's status was not available as of late Wednesday morning.

While the family desires to keep its identity and status updates private, the Braves revealed that players, coaches and staff members have reached out to express their best wishes.

"We appreciate the family's wishes for privacy and we will continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers and hope for a speedy recovery," the Braves said in an updated statement on Wednesday.

An audible thud was heard throughout Turner Field when the unidentified boy was struck with a foul ball that Gomez lined into the seats behind the Braves' first-base dugout during the seventh inning of Atlanta's 5-0 win. An adult immediately picked up the young boy and carried him to a first-aid station while stadium workers and emergency personnel provided assistance.

The Braves issued a release late Tuesday night that said the fan "was conscious and talkative while he was being treated on site before being transferred to the hospital."

When the boy was hit, Braves pitcher Julio Teheran crouched on the mound and took off his cap while looking in the direction of the incident. Gomez took a knee near the plate and appeared to say a prayer.

"I just heard it," Teheran said. "I didn't know if it hit a kid or a big person. I don't like when they get a foul ball like that ... I knew it was going to hit somebody, because it was fast and hard and nobody was going to have a chance to get out of the way."