An Atlanta Braves rookie suffered a bizarre knee injury after flubbing a pre-game ritual

Kevin C. Cox/Getty

An Atlanta Braves rookie suffered one of the most unlikely on-field injuries of this MLB season on Wednesday night, forcing him to return to the dugout before the game had even started.

Infielder Johan Camargo was slated to be the starting shortstop for Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, but a mishap during his pre-game ritual created a bizarre scene near first base. The 23-year-old Panamanian was reaching to grab some dirt as he hopped over the foul line when he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

While the injury did not initially appear to be serious, Camargo found himself in a lot of pain and was replaced in the lineup by Dansby Swanson.

As the broadcasters pointed out, Camargo was barely able to put weight on his right foot. While there were fears of structural damage, the official diagnosis was a bone bruise in his right knee. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list and shouldn't be sidelined for more than a few weeks.

"At the moment, I was worried, so I just immediately began to pray, hoping it wasn't a more severe injury," Camargo said after the game. "I knew I was hurt and I was just hoping for the best."

After playing just 31 games in Triple-A, Camargo has been a nice surprise for Atlanta this season, batting .292/.327/.454 with 17 doubles in 64 games. While the Braves are 16 games out of first place in the National League East, they'll be glad to have him back before the end of the year.

"When you look at [video of the injury], I was thinking a lot worse," said manager Brian Snitker. "I'm thinking the kid's probably going to be done for the year. They said they heard a pop. I'm thinking he tore something and needed surgery. But they did the MRI and all and they said it's just a bone bruise."