By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
CLEARWATER, Fla. — After colliding with teammate Andrew Pullin during Saturday afternoon's 9-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Spectrum Field, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Will Middlebrooks has been diagnosed with a fractured left fibula, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Middlebrooks, 29, signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Phillies on January 3. The 2013 World Series champion spent his first three Major League seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 2012-2014, combining for a .237/.284/.411 slash with 34 home runs and 122 RBIs spanning 232 games. Middlebrooks went on to play 10 games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016 and 22 games for the Texas Rangers last season.
NBC Sports.com's Ashley Varela describes the play in which Middlebrooks sustained the injury:
The infielder was chasing down a pop fly in the eighth inning when he ran into left fielder Andrew Pullin, who inadvertently trapped Middlebrooks’ ankle under his leg. Middlebrooks was unable to put weight on his leg following the collision and was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital for X-rays.
Despite the disappointing injury, the Greenville, Texas native is not counting himself out on playing this season, notes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki:
“The game is getting younger every day,” Middlebrooks said. “I’ll be 30 this year. Unfortunately, that’s not prime anymore. You look in this clubhouse and everybody is 23, 24 years old. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind. But the small window of time I’ve spent here with this staff and training staff, I think I’ll be just fine. If it takes two months, if it takes four or five months, I don’t know how long it’s going to take yet. I’m not counting myself out. I plan on playing this year.”
Middlebrooks will see a specialist for further testing on his left ankle on Sunday. While he had hoped to land a bench role on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Middlebrooks will now likely accept a minor league assignment to rehab with the Phillies organization and attempt to return at some point this season.
