WASHINGTON (AFP) — Atlanta Braves player Charlie Culberson suffered multiple fractures in his face when he was hit on the right cheekbone by a pitch, the Major League Baseball team announced Sunday.

Culberson was struck by a fastball from Washington Nationals pitcher Fernando Rodney in the seventh inning as he tried to lay down a bunt.

The 30-year-old American was expected to return on his own to Atlanta where he will undergo further tests by team doctors.

There was no word on how much time he would miss from the Braves, who clinched a playoff berth with a win.