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Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene will have surgery to address swelling in his right elbow on Wednesday, according to Cody Stavenhagen in The Athletic.
According to Stavenhagen, the extent of Greene’s injury is unclear and it “looks like the doctors have to go to determine the extent of the injury.”
Greene, 22, was excellent in his second MLB season when healthy, hitting .288 with 11 homers, 37 RBI, 51 runs, seven stolen bases and a .796 OPS in 99 games. He certainly looked the part of a player valued at No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft.
In Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, the Tigers have a trio of young hitters worth getting excited about. That somewhat lessened the sting from Javier Báez’s disappointing 2023 campaign (.217 with nine homers, 58 RBI, 56 runs, 12 stolen bases and a .583 OPS) after he signed a six-year, $140 million deal this offseason.
As for Greene, he has been gone since Sept.
Injuries have been a concern in his young career. He also dealt with a stress reaction in his left fibula earlier in the season, causing him to miss more time, and saw his MLB debut delayed to 2022 after suffering a fracture. on the foot during Spring Training when he fouled a pitch off his foot.
“This [stinks],” he told reporters last week about his latest injury. “No one wants to be there more than me.”
He appeared to suffer a knock while diving for a Tim Anderson fly ball. One of Greene’s calling cards during his young MLB career was an aggressive approach to positioning in the outfield.
“He did this on a play that not many people make,” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch to reporters. “It’s another bad incident. He’s not going to stop being Riley Greene and playing the way he does, the caliber he does.
