MLB star Josh Smith viral meningitis diagnosis leads him to the hospital

Josh Smith, the second baseman for the Texas Rangers, has been hospitalized after being diagnosed with viral meningitis.

The MLB star visited the 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.

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.”

Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, the 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 further said, hopeful of Josh Smith’s recovery.

It is also pertinent to mention that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), describes viral meningitis as an "inflammation (swelling) of the protective lining of the brain and spinal cord that can be caused by a viral infection."