Rays' Hunter Bigge makes heroic return to mound after scary injury in 2025

In an otherwise regular June contest against the rival Orioles, something impactful made national news. It wasn't a long home run or unbelievable play, but rather a life-threatening injury to a player who wasn't even on the field. This moment rocked the world of each player from both teams and the 10,000 fans in attendance at George Steinbrenner Field. We can all breathe a little easier now after witnessing his successful return to the Rays' bullpen.

Hunter Bigge returns to the mound for the first since his scary injury last season

There's no way Bigge could've predicted his 2025 season to be cut short so quickly, but after a 105-mph foul ball off the bat of Adley Rutschman snuck into the home dugout, everything changed. Everyone immediately understood the gravity of what just happened. The 27-year-old reliever had been struck square in the face with the frightening foul ball. The worst thoughts entered the minds of those in attendance and a June 19th baseball game was suddenly meaningless.

With the speedy help of medical officials, Hunter Bigge was thankfully restored to full health. This terrifying incident required surgery to repair multiple facial fractures, but it could've ended way worse for the young pitcher.

Heading into that Rays-Orioles contest, Bigge was off to a strong start as he allowed only four earned runs in 15 innings of work. Tampa Bay acquired Hunter Bigge in the 2024 mid-season trade that included the departure of All-Star infielder, Isaac Paredes. His high-powered fastball was a huge selling point for the Rays' front office, and he has impressed to the tune of a 2.43 ERA.

Surprisingly, the Rays did not originally include Bigge on their Opening Day roster, but after an unfortunate injury to left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger, they decided to call up their trustee right-hander for an emotional return to the bullpen.

On the same day he was recalled from Triple-A Durham, Kevin Cash employed Hunter Bigge to close out the sixth inning of a tied ballgame. The Orlando native did his job splendidly as he tossed 0.2 innings, recording one strikeout and avoiding any hits from the Twins' offense. The Rays would go on to drop this game after a grand slam from former Rays' infielder Tristan Gray, but most fans will remember Hunter Bigge's triumphant return, defying the odds in the process.