Overnight, it was reported by ESPN Chicago that Cubs reliever Pedro Strop was in a car accident in his home country, the Dominican Republic:
The 29-year-old was driving a pickup truck when he crashed against a wall late Wednesday along a road southwest of the capital of Santo Domingo.
"We've talked with Pedro's family, and they've told us he's doing well and resting at home," Juan Mercado, general assistant manager of the Cibao Giants winter league team, told The Associated Press.
Other reports indicated he was in a car that was rear-ended:
Here is the car the Pedro Strop was in. Details are unclear. I'm efforting an update. pic.twitter.com/erByPXkxcf
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) November 28, 2014
Here's an update from the Cubs via Carrie Muskat:
#Cubs report Strop is home and doing fine. Needed a few stitches on left arm
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) November 28, 2014
That's good news. "A few stitches" on his left arm wouldn't affect his pitching in any way.
It was suggested in the comments here when Twitter reports of this accident came out early this morning that the Cubs should "do something" about this. As noted in the ESPN Chicago report:
Several other players have died in the past two decades in car crashes in the Dominican Republic, which has the second-highest traffic-related death rate in the world, with nearly 42 deaths per 100,000 people.
Other than helping teach drivers in the D.R. to be better drivers, I'm not sure if there's anything the Cubs, or Major League Baseball, could do. I'm glad to hear that Strop is doing fine and he ought to be 100 percent at spring training.