Padres' Donovan Tate breaks jaw in ATV crash

Bill Center has the breaking news.  See what I did there?

Padres' Tate injured in ATV crash

...suffered facial lacerations and a broken jaw that required surgery last weekend in an ATV accident near his Georgia home.

Following the ATV accident, Tate’s jaw was reportedly fitted with a plate and wired shut. The Padres believe he will be ready by spring training.

Little known fact: this is also how Crash Davis got his nickname.

[Note by jbox, 12/03/09 2:17 PM PST ]

Keith Law like Gaslamp Baller strummer is pessimistic about Tate being ready for Spring Training:

“Donavan Tate’s freak injury may still impact his 2010 season even if he’s ready for spring training physically, since he’s probably going to end up losing weight and will almost certainly miss significant workout and practice time. Tate is a great athlete whose baseball skills and instincts need work, meaning that he needs reps more than a typical high-draft high school bat. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him stay in extended spring training in April to get his strength back and get reps in a lower-pressure environment than a full-season league of 19-22-year-olds.”