Texas Rangers' Josh Smith Hospitalized for Viral Meningitis Treatment
Josh Smith looks on before a baseball game on June 27, 2024 Credit: Mitchell Layton/Getty NEED TO KNOW Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith is being treated at a Dallas-area hospital after being diagnosed with viral meningitis The diagnosis follows Smith being placed on the injured list with a glute strain and wrist inflammation in early May Rangers officials emphasized the team' focus is on Smith's recovery Josh Smith, the second baseman for the Texas Rangers, has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with viral meningitis. The MLB star, 28, visited doctors on the night of Wednesday, May 7, after he reported feeling ill, according to MLB. com and the Associated Press .
Smith is currently receiving treatment at a Dallas-area hospital where he is expected to stay between 7 and 10 days, the outlets reported. Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now! Josh Smith warms up before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 10, 2024 Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , viral meningitis is an "inflammation (swelling) of the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord that can be caused by a viral infection.
" The diagnosis comes after Smith was put on the 10-day injured list with a right glute strain and wrist inflammation on Monday, May 4. Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said that the focus right now is to get Smith "healthy and right" and that they'll "reassess from a baseball perspective" once he's out of the hospital. “We know he's getting some of the best care that he can get right now," said Fenstermaker, per MLB.
com. "The doctors will advise us in terms of what activity looks like once he gets healthy, but right now it's just getting back to health and making sure he's in a good spot. ” Josh Smith at Globe Life Field on August 20, 2024 in Arlington, Texas Credit: Sam Hodde/Getty Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young echoed the same sentiments, expressing that the team's "only concern right now is Josh's health.
" “This is obviously an unexpected illness, but we hope to see him return to full health and rejoin the club very soon," he said, per the AP. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. PEOPLE has reached out to the Texas Rangers for comment.