Major League Baseball star Aroldis Chapman shows off staples in his head after being struck by 100mph line drive

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman has shared a picture of his stapled head on Instagram
He suffered fractures to bones in his nose and left eye while taking a line drive to the face on Wednesday night
Chapman carted off the field and transported by ambulance to hospital
The game between the Reds and the Kansas City Chiefs was abandoned

PUBLISHED: 12:50 EST, 23 March 2014 | UPDATED: 02:18 EST, 24 March 2014

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman has shared an image of his stapled head on Instagram after undergoing surgery for a horrific injury suffered during a training game last Wednesday.

The 26-year-old was hit in the face by a line drive after pitching a 99mph ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in Surprise, Arizona.

The impact broke bones above his left eye and nose, causing him to be taken to the nearby Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre for further tests.

Cincinatti Reds player Aroldis Chapman struck in head during game

On the mend: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman shows off his stapled head after undergoing surgery

Pitch: Chapman fires off a 99mph pitch towards Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night in Arizona

Road to recovery: Chapman could be pitching again within a month if his recovery goes as planned

He has since undergone successful surgery, having had a titanium plate embedded in his skull to help heal the fracture.

Chapman, who is nicknamed The Cuban Missile, posted the image of his head on the social networking site along with a message in Spanish translated as: 'My fans, everything is fine, thanks to God we are already out of any kind of trouble. I’m here waiting for them to give me my release.'

Surprisingly Chapman only had a slight concussion and there is a chance he could be pitching again within a month.

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Return: Perez rifles back the ball towards Chapman (left) who is still following through on his pitch at the stadium in Surprise, Arizona and (right) the ball can be seen as a white speck just above Chapman's left arm about to hit his face

Contact: The ball ricochets off Chapman's face at speed - causing him to raise his left hand to his face in agony

The hard-throwing left-hander was struck by Salvador Perez's liner with two outs in the sixth inning — the pitch was clocked at 99 mph.

Chapman crumbled to the ground, face down, his legs flailing.

The ball caromed into the third base dugout. Medical personnel, including Royals Dr. Vincent Key, rushed onto the field. Blood could be seen on the mound.

Perez put his hands on his helmet before reaching first base. He immediately went to the mound where players from both teams huddled as the 26-year-old Cuban reliever was being attended to in an eerily silent stadium.

Collapse: Chapman falls to the ground as concerned team mates and umpires dash over to help him as he writhes in agony on the floor

Prayers: Cincinnati Reds players and Kansas City Chief players kneel as Chapman receives urgent medical care on the field on Wednesday night

Treatment: Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is taken off the field after being hit by a line drive Wednesday night March 19, 2014, after another frightening incident involving a pitcher being struck by a batted ball

An ambulance's siren could be heard in the background while Chapman was loaded onto the stretcher.

'It was an absolute bullet that Sal hit,' Royals manager Ned Yost said. 'It's just a real sickening feeling for everybody.'

After undergoing surgery at a hospital in Phoenix, Chapman is expected to spend a few days recovering before returning home.

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Bill Mac, Whitley bay, Uk, 3 hours ago

Ha ha ha, rounders for men. Not a real sport.

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Hubfan, Lakeville, 3 hours ago

Glad he'll make a full recovery. This is why you'll never see aluminum bats in the majors leagues-he would've been killed.

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Ros_bif, London, United Kingdom, 5 hours ago

"Prayers: Cincinnati Reds players and Kansas City Chief players kneel as Chapman receives urgent medical care" The Chiefs are the NFL team, this is the Royals. Well researched DM.

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StreetLCFC, Leicester, United Kingdom, 7 hours ago

Helmets for pitchers me thinks?

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Thecoxta, Leeds, United Kingdom, 8 hours ago

Walk it off son.

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JustAStranger, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 8 hours ago

speedy recovery!

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Splashback, london, United Kingdom, 9 hours ago

Fast bowlers in cricket risk the same thing every time they run in, scary. Wish him a speedy recovery

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darren, poulton le fylde, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago

Unlikely in cricket . due to the different angle's involved in the batting stroke .

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George W, London, 10 hours ago

I used to play cricket at quite a high level and before helmets. Had my head slashed by a bouncer and stitched up in hospital. The team coach had no sympathy though: he told me I had a bat to hit the ball (and trust me a cricket ball is very hard) and not to use my head.Oh, broken fingers, forearm and many hits in that most vulnerable of places which always made everyone laugh. Unspeakably painful.