The wife of Braves newcomer Sean Rodriguez thanked well-wishers and said she and her husband felt grateful that they and two of their children were alive after the family members were involved in a fiery weekend car crash in Miami.
They were in an SUV driven by Rodriguez on Saturday afternoon when the vehicle was T-boned by a stolen police cruiser. The driver of the stolen car died and that vehicle burst into flames after the incident in West Miami-Dade County.
Rodriguez, 31, a Miami native, escaped injury, but Giselle and the two children were hurt and required hospitalization. Miami TV station WSVM reported Sunday that Giselle was in fair condition at Kendall Regional Medical Center and the kids – two of the couple’s four children — were in serious condition at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
On Monday, Giselle Rodriguez posted on her Twitter account that she had a broken tibia and femur and would have wrist surgery Tuesday, and she indicated that only one of the children remained hospitalized.
“Thank you all for prayers!” she wrote in another Tweet. “Please Please continue to pray for us! Gogo is still in the hospital with thankfully only stitches and a cast.” (Gogo is the nickname of one of their children.)
The Braves said in a brief statement Sunday night, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the health and well-being of Sean Rodriguez and his family as they recover from a car accident in Miami.”
Braves general manager John Coppolella reiterated Monday that the Braves were concerned only with the health of the Rodriguez family.
Rodriguez signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Braves after a career-best 2016 season as a super-utility player with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played seven different positions in 2016 and is likely to be the Braves’ primary second baseman to start the 2017 season, or share duties with Jace Peterson until prospect Ozzie Albies is ready.
Rodriguez might also play plenty at third base and be a backup at first base and the outfield.
He had career-highs in most offensive categories in 2016 including batting average (.270), home runs (18), RBIs (56), on-base percentage (.349) and slugging percentage (.510) in his ninth season and second with Pittsburgh.
