Just the other day, Atlanta Braves pitcher Matt Marksberry went on Twitter to ask for prayers for his health. Now, he needs those thoughts more than ever.
Often times, we think of Major League players as being indestructible. Yes, they have their injuries and issues, but we see them during the prime of their lives, playing a game at a skill level that is difficult to imagine. When a player is cut down n the prime of their lives, like Jose Fernandez, or is suddenly fighting for their lives, it comes as a shock.
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The latter is the case with Atlanta Braves reliever Matt Marksberry. Drafted in the 15th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Braves, Marksberry rose through the system quickly. Within two years, he was in the Braves bullpen, pitching in the Majors and seemingly just at the beginning of his career.
However, just the other day, Marksberry tweeted out that he was looking for prayers for his health. While he did not specify what was happening, aside from that his health concerns were non baseball related, he mentioned being far from his support system. It was certainly enough to make one wonder what was going on.
As it turns out, Marksberry’s health concerns may have been even worse than he thought. He had been seeing a doctor for severe dehydration, and according to reports from a friend of the family, had a seizure during the procedure. The seizure resulted in a collapsed lung, and Marksberry being on life support.
@kapaya1234 so he's not on life support with a collapse lung?
— Chrissy Taylor (@BRAVOFAN1007) October 19, 2016
#Braves Marksberry went in for procedure, non-baseball, and had reaction from severe dehydration. HIPA rules restrict team from saying more
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 19, 2016
I don't know all details, from what I understand (not from Braves) is he's unconscious, but haven't heard on life support. https://t.co/NAhE3oWkqY
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 19, 2016
At this point in time, the details are obviously limited. From the reports, it sounds as though whatever procedure that Marksberry went in for resulted in potentially serious complications. Hopefully, Marksberry will come out of this fine, and be ready to resume his career with the Atlanta Braves next season.
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It is easy to think that MLB players are virtually indestructible, able to bounce back from injuries without concern. Instead, it takes moments like these to realize that they are human, just like the rest of us.