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Yankees’ Dustin Fowler in high spirits after season-ending knee surgery

Instead of traveling south down to Houston with his new teammates on Friday morning, Yankees’ rookie Dustin Fowler spent time in a hospital bed at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, recovering from a devestating season-ending knee injury he suffered on Thursday night in his major league debut against the White Sox. 

In the moment, the collision was alarming. Fowler’s feeble attempt to put weight on his leg and walk under his own power was distressing, and led to all stomachs being tied in knots. 

But just hours following Fowler’s hellish encounter, the 22-year-old is in high spirits, and expressed his feelings and emotions with Kevin Kernan of the New York Post:

“This is a journey I’ve gone through my whole life. Now I’ve got to work that much harder to get there. Maybe it will be a little more special this go-round.

“I’m glad I was there for one day, but I’m pretty bummed out I am not going to be there for the rest of the year.

“Everything is as good as it can be right now. The surgery went well. That’s always a plus. I’m just going to take it day to day right now. It ruptured but they were able to put it back in place and there wasn’t any other issues so they said it’s going to be a pretty positive recovery. They said I’d be out for about four or five months and then be ready for the spring.

“I don’t let a lot of things get to me, so I’ll be able to bounce back, and we got a good group of guys I’ll be able to work with and get me on my feet as quickly as possible.”

While Yankees manager Joe Girardi expressed his frustration with Guaranteed Rate Park’s lack of padding and protection on its small walls in foul territory, Fowler holds no grudge on the matter.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation. I’m going to do everything I can to get to a ball, that’s how I play, and I hit the wrong part of the fence, it was just kind of a freak accident that you can’t really do anything about.

“I was sitting there, the pain really wasn’t going through, I was just sitting there and kind of let the other guys take control.”

Although Fowler’s first taste in the majors was cut short, he’s eager to return, and appreciates all the kind words from his teammates, family, and fans.

“I’ve heard from everyone. They’re all praying for me. I get along with everyone, it’s a great group of guys, obviously me and Tyler Wade have been together the whole time, so I’m pretty close with him. Everyone there is very good, very welcoming. There are not really any circles on this team.

“Everyone told me to remain positive, work through it and when I get up there make the most of it, just do everything I can to get back to the team.”

In 70 games (313 PA) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Fowler hit .293 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 19 doubles and 13 stolen bases. He was also nominated for the 30th annual Triple-A All-Star Game on Thursday.

If you want to connect with Tom Hanslin, email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @tomhanslin.