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Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene undergoes Tommy John surgery, gets timetable for return
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- Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene undergoes Tommy John surgery, gets timetable for return
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene underwent successful right elbow surgery Wednesday, performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. He needed Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament.
Greene injured his non-throwing elbow Sept. 1 on a diving catch in left-center field against the Chicago White Sox . The 22-year-old received three medical opinions about his right elbow sprain before scheduling Tommy John surgery .
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The Tigers expect Greene to be ready in 190 days for 2024 Opening Day, scheduled for March 28. The Tigers begin the 2024 season against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, the same place where Greene injured his elbow.
BEFORE THE SEASON: After taking the next step, Tigers outfield Riley Greene is thinking 'pure' at the plate
Tigers center fielder Riley Greene celebrates his RBI double against the Angels during the ninth inning of the Tigers' 7-6 loss on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at Comerica Park.
"Dr. Meister went in and performed the operation," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in Los Angeles. "He noted great satisfaction with the outcome and is very optimistic for Opening Day next season. It will be a winter-long full of rehab for him, but that was the takeaway from the surgery."
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Greene, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft, hit .288 with 11 home runs, 35 walks and 114 strikeouts over 99 games in the 2023 season, posting a .796 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
He has suffered three injuries in the past two seasons: right foot fracture in April 2022, left fibula stress reaction in May 2023 and right elbow sprain in September 2023. The foot and elbow injuries required surgery.
The Tigers planned for Greene to return to Detroit following the completion of Tommy John surgery. He will stay with the Tigers through the end of the season, which wraps up Oct. 1 against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park.
Before Wednesday's game, the Tigers transferred Greene from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. That transaction opened a spot for right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee on the 40-man roster. Optioning right-handed reliever Brendan White to Triple-A Toledo created room for Hanifee on the 28-man roster.
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Hanifee, who posted a 4.38 ERA over 90⅓ innings in Triple-A Toledo, could make his MLB debut on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene has Tommy John surgery
