Coach Ritch Price announced Tuesday that junior third baseman Tony Thompson will miss the first few weeks of the regular season due to a leg injury suffered in practice last week. Thompson fouled a pitch off his knee in practice and sustained a hairline fracture of his left kneecap.

His MRI showed no ligament damage. The x-rays indicated that the kneecap has a hairline fracture and no other structural damage. Dr. Jeff Randall, KU Team Physician, is confident that Thompson will be completely healthy within 4-6 weeks.

“Obviously it goes without saying that this is a devastating way for our team to start the 2010 season,” Price said. “The good news is that Tony will not need surgery, and he will be back in our lineup prior to the start of Big 12 Conference play. Our team will need to come together and find a way to survive until we can get Tony healthy and back on the field.”

Thompson was a unanimous preseason All-America selection as well as the preseason favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year. He won the conference’s Triple Crown last year, leading the league in batting average (.389), home runs (21) and RBIs (82).