Navi says he’ll be fine

Posted Mar 21, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Mar 21, 2010 at 07:50 AM

ROGER MOONEY

PORT CHARLOTTE Catcher Dioner Navarro hobbled across the Rays clubhouse this morning on crutches and said other than fearing his season ended Saturday afternoon during a collision at home plate with Minnesota’s Jacque Jones, he’s fine.

“I have a bad wheel,” he joked.

Navarro said the nerve contusion is in his left shin and will keep him out a few days.

“We’re just kind of seeing the next few days how I react to it,” Navarro said. “We’re just kind of waiting because we have no timetable, see how it reacts to treatment in the next few days and see what happens.”

Navarro said he feared the worse as he fell to the dirt after his leg went numb.

“I saw my whole season passing through my mind in that moment right there,” Navarro said.

Navarro said he expects to be ready by Opening Day.

“It’s going to be uncomfortable for a while, but that’s just part of live being a catcher, I got to deal with it,” he said. “That’s the price you got to pay.”