Robinson Cano gets beaned in helmet, leaves game

The Yankees got a big scare on Wednesday night when second baseman Robinson Cano was beaned in the helmet in the fifth inning by a pitch delivered from Royals reliever Nathan Adcock.

Cano sat on the batter’s box dirt for a few minutes as manager Joe Girardi and team trainer Steve Donohue rushed out to check on him. He didn’t look to be in much pain and even cracked a few grins, but the Yankees decided to pull him from the contest anyway for precautionary reasons.

Backup infielder Eduardo Nunez entered as a pinch-runner and will finish out the game at second base.

Cano will likely be tested for a concussion tonight and then again Thursday morning. The Yankees finish up their three-game series with the Royals on Thursday evening then welcome the Red Sox to town for a weekend series on Friday. It’s not yet known if Cano will need to miss any time.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that Phillies owner John Middleton flew to Las Vegas for a meeting with Bryce Harper on Friday. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it’s “more of a meet-and-greet than a sign-a-deal” affair, but as the club is still at the forefront of trade rumors involving the All-Star slugger, there remains a possibility (however slight) that something could be completed in the days to come.

Even now, the Phillies aren’t alone in the race to sign Harper, but recent rumors have helped whittle down the competition from five or more teams (Phillies, Nationals, White Sox, Giants, and Padres) to three strong contenders. The Giants are said to be interested in a lucrative short-term deal with the outfielder, while the Padres remain in the conversation despite inking Manny Machado to a mammoth 10-year, $300 million contract this week. It’s not yet clear just how far either team would go to outbid Philadelphia as talks with Harper intensify.

As for the Nationals and White Sox, the former officially bowed out earlier today, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that the latter won’t make a strong play for Harper as they feel the asking price and competing offers are “getting too high” for the 26-year-old’s services. If a mystery team is still in the mix, there’s been no word on their standing with Harper in the last month or so.