Padres' Niko Goodrum exits spring game after taking line drive to face at second base

That has to hurt. In a spring training game on Monday at Peoria Stadium, Padres' second baseman Niko Goodrum took a line drive off of his face against the Cincinnati Reds.

In the top of the eighth inning, Padres relief pitcher Bradgley reacted to a comebacker off the bat of Reds' Blake Dunn. Rodriguez's ricochet sprung the ball in Goodrum's direction, which gave Goodrum no time to react, resulting in him getting hit in the face. Two runs scored as the ball dribbled away, which then led to Goodrum exiting the ballgame.

Goodrum had just entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning to pinch-run for starting second baseman Jake Cronenworth. He wound up scoring on an RBI groundout from Jose Iglesias in his short-lived outing on Monday.

The Padres lost the game, 9-3, but Goodrum's exit is the most concerning. In a game that saw Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gavin Sheets each hit a home run, San Diego's biggest takeaway from Monday's contest will be Goodrum's health.

Goodrum, 33, was signed to a minor league deal this offseason with the Padres after playing in just 13 MLB games last year with the Los Angeles Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays. This spring training, Goodrum is batting .273 on top of drawing six walks through nine games.

He was replaced by Nate Mondou in the eighth inning at second base. Mondou was able to get one at-bat in with San Diego. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the 29-year-old lined out in foul territory for the second out of the frame.