Fowler cheered by Yankees teammates

HOUSTON – Once the Yankees’ second team bus arrived Friday at Minute Maid Park, manager Joe Girardi summoned his players and coaches into a room off the visitors’ clubhouse.

There, via Face Time, the Yankees cheered up Dustin Fowler, in a Chicago hospital room.

“I thought it was important that we see him and that he saw us,’’ Girardi said, less than 24 hours after Fowler suffered a devastating right knee injury in his first big-league game.

The rookie outfielder is looking at a “substantial’’ six-month rehab, Girardi said of the open patella tendon rupture – caused by Fowler’s collision with a metal electrical box while in pursuit of a foul ball.

But following Thursday night’s surgery, Fowler was expected to be ready for spring training. “They had him up, walking around and doing a few things. The rehab has already started,’’ Girardi said, adding that Fowler was brightened by the Face Time chat.

And Fowler was already scheduled to be released later Friday from Rush University Medical Center, where his parents drove to overnight from Georgia. They had originally planned to meet their son in Houston for this weekend’s series against the Astros.

“(We’re) still very upset about it, sad for him,’’ Girardi said. “All the excitement of your son being called up and then the disappointment they’re obviously going through.’’

Though the Yankees arrived at their Houston hotel at 6 a.m., Friday, following a nearly three-hour rain delay prior to their 4-3 loss against the White Sox, Girardi phoned Fowler in the morning and again in the afternoon.

“He said he was feeling OK,’’ said Girardi, who anticipates that the team will see Fowler in New York following this road trip.

Tyler Wade and texted his old friend and roommate earlier Friday, saying: “I’m praying for you man and I can’t wait to see you soon,’’ and received a text right back from Fowler.

“He’s a great friend of mind and a great teammate. I consider him family,’’ said Wade, who was starting at second base in just his third big-league game Thursday when Fowler – just called up from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre – took off from right field in pursuit of Jose Abreu’s foul fly.

“At first, I thought he was OK because I saw him hobbling around,’’ Wade said of Fowler cautiously coming off the low railing, where his knee impacted the electrical box. “And then he collapsed.’’

Sitting on the warning track, “he looked like he was in shock,’’ Wade said. “He didn’t really say anything. He was just sitting there.’’

But the severity of his injury could be seen immediately; Fowler’s kneecap had been noticeably displaced and “I could not even look at his knee, it was popping out,’’ Wade said.

Aaron Judge described being sick to his stomach at what happened. Brett Gardner, who saw Derek Jeter break his ankle in the 2012 playoffs, called it “one of the worst things I’ve seen on a baseball field.’’

After the game, an emotional Girardi wondered aloud why an electrical box could be placed so close to the playing field, creating a distinct hazard. Or that no one had the foresight to add padding to the area, which existed along the low rail.

The manager would encourage MLB to have such a discussion, but he’d yet to make any formal requests on Friday; the concern was still focused on Fowler’s well-being and his baseball future.

“(He’s) a competitor, an awesome guy and he’s going to come back even stronger,’’ Wade said of Fowler’s prognosis based on his personality. “I spent four years playing with him every day. We’re extremely close…as close as you could get.’’