Tigers' C.J. Cron exits after taking liner off left knee; Daniel Norris also shaken up

Tony Paul
The Detroit News

Detroit — The highlight also was a lowlight.

On a play that should make the recap reels, the Tigers also might've lost slugging first baseman C.J. Cron for the foreseeable future.

Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris, right, checks on first baseman C.J. Cron in the fourth inning. Cron left the game with a left knee injury.

In the top of the fourth inning Monday at Comerica Park, Cron took a shot off his left knee on a line drive by Chicago White Sox second baseman Danny Mendick. Cron immediately went down, and eventually had to be helped off the field.

The ball ricocheted off Cron's knee into the air, with reliever Daniel Norris scooping it up and racing over to the uncovered bag, where he was able to tag Mendick before he touched first base to end the inning.

"Dino's a great athlete," said Niko Goodrum, "if you guys didn't know."

The excitement was short-lived, as Norris immediately went over to Cron, who remained on the ground.

Cron eventually was helped to his feet, and used manager Ron Gardenhire and trainer Doug Teter for support walking across the infield. Cron walked the rest of the way on his own, albeit limping.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, he was pinch-hit for by Dawel Lugo, who stayed in to play third base while Jeimer Candelario moved over to first. The Tigers confirmed Cron left with a left knee injury and was to undergo "further evaluation."

"That's all we've got right now," Gardenhire said after the Tigers' 5-1 win. "We'll just wait and see.

"It squared him up."

Norris also was banged up on the play, hitting his head on the ground as well as his left shoulder when he laid out. He was checked for a concussion, but that came back all clear.

Still, Gardenhire was cautious regarding the shoulder, and limited Norris to two innings.

"I thought he about killed himself," Gardenhire said of Norris. "That's who he is, tries to make plays."

Cron, 30, has been a pleasant surprise for Detroit since signing over the offseason for one year and $6.1 million. He had four home runs and eight RBIs through 12 games entering Monday night.

The Tigers got some tough injury news earlier Monday, when reliever Buck Farmer was placed on the injured list with a strained groin. He's expected to miss 10 to 14 days.

They used four relievers to get through the last four innings against the White Sox on Monday, the bullpen allowing just the one run after Michael Fulmer and Norris combined for five scoreless innings.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984