Carlos Santana injures left leg

The left leg of Cleveland Indians rookie catcher Carlos Santana, one of the top prospects in baseball, collapsed at a freakish angle when Red Sox rookie Ryan Kalish slid into him attempting to score in the seventh inning Monday night.

Catcher Carlos Santana will undergo an MRI on his left knee in Cleveland on Tuesday after he was involved in a violent collision at home plate in the Indians' 6-5 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night at Fenway Park. Shin-Soo Choo threw a strike to home plate, where Santana had his left leg extended to block the dish. Kalish plowed into Santana's left leg and was tagged out, and both players went sprawling around home plate. It's part of the game. It's part of the game.

AP Photo/Charles KrupaIndians catcher Carlos Santana is carted off the field Monday with his left leg in an air cast. That the Indians are choosing to send Santana home for additional tests would suggest they still have questions as to whether his knee is damaged. But Kalish said he spoke by telephone to Santana, who was in the trainers' room in the visiting clubhouse after the game, and that Santana spoke optimistically about his condition. "I've already talked to him and he's doing a lot better than they thought," Kalish said.

Kalish was attempting to score on a single to right field by a third rookie, pinch hitter Daniel Nava, when he slid full-bore into Santana's left leg, which was planted to block the plate as he took a strong throw from right fielder Shin-Soo Choo. Kalish watched from the dugout as all eight of Santana's teammates on the field gathered around him while doctors and trainers worked on him. Several of Kalish's teammates, including Kevin Youkilis, spoke with the shaken player.

Promoted to Triple-A Columbus, Santana was batting .316 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in 57 games when he was promoted to the Indians on June 11. Santana wears No. 41 for the Indians in tribute to his idol, former Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez, who is now with Boston and was among the onlookers Monday night.