It turns out that Matt Kemp isn’t really Super Man after all.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star center fielder was forced to leave Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies after crashing into the wall in the bottom of the first inning and suffering a right knee bruise.
Kemp, who finished second to Ryan Braun in last year’s National League MVP balloting, had collided with wall the day before as well.
He injured himself this time while trying to track down a Josh Rutledge triple. The ball caromed off the wall just before Kemp slammed into the padding while running full speed and fell backwards onto the warning track.
He stayed down for several minutes as team trainers checked him over. Kemp initially remained in the game following the mishap, but was soon forced to withdraw.
Kemp soon left the ballpark to undergo precautionary X-Rays on his jaw and an MRI on his knee, Dodgers officials said. The team said he showed no signs of a concussion.
“That kind of hit, I’m expecting him to at least be out [on Wednesday],” Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly told ESPN.com. “I’m sure he’ll tell me can play if he walks back in here [on Wednesday], but I’m expecting him to be out.
“The biggest bright spot, if you can take a bright spot, the knee didn’t look damaged. We’ll see what’s going on with the jaw. If it was wired shut, it would kill his mojo.”
Kemp is currently batting .337 with 17 homeruns and 54 RBIs.
He was a beast in 2011, blasting 39 homeruns with 126 RBIs to pace the league in both categories in a storied bid for the Triple Crown. His .324 average ranked third in the NL.
The Dodgers signed Kemp to a franchise-record, 8-year $160 million extension during the offseason.
Juan Rivera took over in left field upon his injury, while Shane Victorino moved over from left to replace Kemp in center.
