Baseball-Oakland pitcher out of hospital after being hit by line drive

(Reuters) -Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt has been released from a Chicago hospital but will require surgery on a broken bone in his face after he was hit by a line drive during a game, the Major League Baseball club said on Wednesday.

The ace right-hander, who was injured during a Tuesday game in Chicago, received two stitches for facial lacerations and was diagnosed with a "displaced tripod fracture" in his right cheek, the Athletics said in a statement.

According to the Athletics, an exam of Bassitt's right eye was normal for vision and no other damage was noted in the eye or orbital bone. In addition, the team said a computerized tomography scan revealed no further head injury.

Bassitt, who earned his first All-Star selection this year, posted a message on Twitter giving thanks for all the support he has received and said he "can't wait to get back!"

During the second inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox, Bassitt immediately fell to the ground where he remained for several minutes after being hit by a batted ball reportedly travelling at 100 miles per hour.

Trainers from both teams rushed to the pitcher's mound, where Bassitt remained down for several minutes before being helped onto a cart and taken off the field while players looked on in silence.

"Chris will be better than ever and back to doing what he loves soon, and thanks everyone for their prayers and support," Meister Sports Management, the agency that represents Bassitt, said in a statement. "Things like this remind us that in most ways we are of one heart and one mind."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Toby Davis)