Reds' Zack Cozart leaves game with finger injury

ATLANTA — Shortstop Zack Cozart, who had started all 25 of the Reds' games this season, left Sunday's game with the Braves after suffering a bruised right index finger. X-rays taken at the stadium showed no fracture.

Cozart had played every inning of the Reds' season before Julio Teheran's grounder to short in the fourth inning. Cozart bobbled the ball for an error and immediately called for the team's head athletic trainer, Paul Lessard, and manager Bryan Price.

"I looked down and didn't think anything of it, I just couldn't believe I made an error and then I looked down to pick the ball up and blood's everywhere," Cozart said after the game. "It kind of shocked me. I called time. They came out and Paul kind of took the blood away and it kept gushing."

Cozart said the finger, which split his nail, was still bleeding after the game, hours after the incident.

"I have't even seen the replay, but I'm guessing I put my hand in too early and it just hit straight on and it bent the nail back a little bit, it's just bleeding a lot. There's still blood coming through now and it's been a while. The positive is no really bad injury, no fractures, off (Monday) so I'll have time to recover."

Kristopher Negron replaced him at shortstop.

The Reds are off Monday and play a night game Tuesday, allowing the team ample time to see how Cozart is progressing and if they would need to make some sort of roster move.

"We'll have to see how that comes around on his throwing hand," Price said. "It's an essential part of making those throws across the diamond."

It was a rough day for Cozart, who was hit on the left wrist by a pitch from Teheran in the first inning.

Cozart yelled his displeasure and Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt seemed to take offense. The two had words, but nothing else. Cozart stayed in the game.

"I wasn't mad at Teheran, I knew he wasn't trying to hit me 0-2, and I just got hit right here," he said, pointing to his wrist. "Hands and head — those are tough. Broken bones happen all the time. I wasn't cussing at Teheran or anything. I was just mad I got hit there. [Bethancourt] said, 'it's 0-2, we're not trying to hit you.' And I said, 'I know. I'm not mad at your pitcher, I'm not mad at you, I'm just [mad] I got hit.' There's no bad blood or anything. I told him, 'we're good, we're good. I just didn't want to get hit.'"

Teheran also threw over to first during Joey Votto's at-bat, necessitating a dive back to first for Cozart, who said he didn't feel quite right afterwards.

Votto then grounded into a double play to end the first. Price and Lessard came out to the field to check on Cozart, but Cozart stayed in the game after the discussion, telling Price that he could play defense and would like to test his wrist with an at-bat.

"I felt good swinging the bat, so I thought I was good," Cozart said. "Then I took the ground ball and Bryan said, 'I think it's time for you to come out.'"