Top Pirates prospect Austin Meadows has eye injury

Austin Meadows injured his right eye on Tuesday. The current diagnosis is that he has an orbital fracture, although he will undergo further testing.

As noted in the article linked above, A.J. Burnett's injury prior to the 2012 season was also an orbital fracture. Meadows apparently got hit with a ball while playing catch. The injury occurred early in Spring Training, and Burnett did not appear in a game until April 21. It's unclear whether Meadows' injury is as serious, and I'm not sure whether he might require less time to get back to game action since he's a position player rather than a pitcher. Obviously, though, his situation bears watching. It would be a shame if Meadows were to lose several weeks of the season over an injury like this.

Meadows spent most of last season with Bradenton and figured to be ticketed for Altoona. Via MLB.com, he currently ranks as the Pirates' second-best prospect and the No. 20 prospect in baseball.