Drew Gilbert's afternoon at the ballpark ended very early Wednesday ... and it's all 'cause he got nailed in the junk by a wayward breaking ball.
The painful pitch happened just after the New York Mets top prospect stepped up to the dish in the first inning of Syracuse's minor league tilt with Rochester.
Drew Gilbert was down after getting hit by a pitch against Rochester
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 14, 2024
He remained down for about three minutes, lobbied to stay in the game, but was eventually removed for a pinch runner pic.twitter.com/C5xjik0w0h
Check out footage from the game's broadcast ... on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Thaddeus Ward's sweeper got away from him, and beelined toward Gilbert's family jewels.
Unable to get out of the way in time, Gilbert's crotch took the full brunt of the 83 MPH pitch -- and, immediately, he crumpled to the ground in pain. He stayed down for several moments -- and at one point, he even needed trainers to hold his legs so he could get the ache to subside.
Ultimately, Gilbert couldn't shake it off ... and was forced to leave the game.
No word yet if he sustained any serious ailments -- or if it was simply just a few minutes of hurt.
Either way, Syracuse lost without the star -- 11-2.