Detroit Tigers’ Riley Greene has fracture in foot, out indefinitely
LAKELAND, Fla. — Riley Greene’s exciting crescendo to his MLB debut has come to a crashing halt.
The 21-year-old outfielder suffered a fracture on the bottom part of his right foot Friday, after fouling a pitch off it, and will be out for next week’s Opening Day and beyond. The injury won’t require surgery at this point, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Saturday morning, and Greene is wearing a protective boot.
“A timeline at this point would be unnecessary,” Hinch said. “I don’t know.”
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The fracture was confirmed by Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Wisconsin. The Tigers will take another look at Greene’s foot in a few weeks for further diagnosis.
Greene could be sidelined for six to eight weeks, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press.
“I feel for him,” Hinch said. “He was having a great spring, he was trending all in the right direction. He’s super energetic, great kid, great attitude. He’s taking this news as positive as he can. … Truly disappointed for him and our organization. … It’s disappointing for him specifically because of the work he put in to make a good impression.”
Greene was removed from Friday’s 6-2 loss to the New York Yankees after the third inning. Facing Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole, he fouled a pitch off the inside part of his foot. He stayed in the game, drilled a sixth-pitch changeup for a triple and later scored for the Tigers’ first run.
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Greene left the dugout with a trainer after the third inning ended, limping down the right-field line, and later underwent X-rays and medical tests. He is the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and the No. 5 prospect in baseball.
A healthy Greene projected as the Tigers’ Opening Day center fielder. The Tigers were set to announce he would break camp with the big-league team, a source told the Free Press.
Then, Greene’s foot injury occurred in Friday’s game.
“It was heading that way, I would say,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said Saturday. “Riley wasn’t doing anything to discourage us. Unfortunately, the injury came at a bad time. … Our hope is that he can get back on the field soon, and at that point, we can make another decision.”
Instead of a two-for-one announcement, the Tigers revealed Saturday that Spencer Torkelson, the team’s No. 1 prospect, earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. Greene is expected to join the Tigers once he is healthy, though rehab assignments will likely come first.
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