Happ says ‘I’m fine’

J.A. Happ feels fortunate.

Less than 24 hours after he was hit on the head by a line drive and carted off the field, the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher was back at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old said he had a skull fracture behind his left ear that doctors believe will heal on its own, as well as a sore right knee that he tweaked when he dropped to the ground Tuesday night.

Otherwise, he felt pretty good after his release from Bayfront Medical Center. He does not have a concussion.

“I feel really fortunate,” Happ said after limping into a room at Tropicana Field for a news conference and climbing a couple steps to sit down behind a table.

“It looks like I moved just a little bit. I don’t remember doing that, but it looks like it was just enough to where it must have caught me in a better spot, because I think it could have got me head on,” he said. “I’ve got some stitches and there’s a fracture in the skull, I suppose, behind my ear, but it’s not serious or threatening. We’ll let those heal.”

Happ, who was put on the 15-day disabled list, had a brief conversation with Tampa Bay’s Desmond Jennings, who hit the line drive that caught him squarely on the left side of the head. Happ shook hands with several teammates outside the Jays clubhouse while assuring each one: “I’m fine.”

“He just wished me the best and hoped for a quick recovery,” Happ said. “Obviously, something like that is never intentional. I let him know that I knew that and I appreciated him coming over.”

Though he’s confident he will pitch again, he’s not sure when.

“From everything, CT scans of the brain, neck, spine and skull, it looks pretty good,” Happ said. “I don’t think there’s a ton of concern.”

Surgery for Halladay

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay will have arthroscopic surgery to repair a bone spur in his right shoulder.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner said “I have a good chance to come back and pitch this year, hopefully be a lot more effective.”

Clearing the bases

The Athletics are running out of healthy outfielders. Oakland placed outfielder Josh Reddick on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist, where he joined center fielders Coco Crisp (hamstring) and Chris Young (quadriceps). … The Astros have moved struggling starter Philip Humber out of the rotation and into the bullpen.