LAKELAND, FL – Riley Green’s thrilling crescendo before his MLB debut has stopped.
The 21-year-old outfielder suffered a fracture of the lower right foot on Friday, after damaging the field on it, and will go on to open next week and beyond. The injury will not require surgery, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Saturday morning, and Green is wearing a safety boot.
“A chronology 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 from Wisconsin. The Tigers will examine Green’s leg again in a few weeks for further diagnosis.
Green may be suspended for six to eight weeks, a source who is aware of the situation told Free Press.
“I feel up to it,” Hinch said. “He had a wonderful spring, he was moving in the right direction. He is super energetic, a wonderful child, a great attitude. He perceives this news as positively as possible … … Really disappointed for him and our organization …. It is a disappointment for its precisely because of the work he has put in to make a good impression ”.
Green was removed after a 6-2 defeat to the New York Yankees on Friday after a third inning. Faced with the right hand of the “Yankee” Gerrit Cole, he tore the field from the inside of his foot. He stayed in the game, substituted a sixth inning for a three-pointer, and later scored a goal in the Tigers ’first run.
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Green left the dugout with the coach after the third inning, limping along the line of the right field, and later underwent X-rays and medical examinations. He is the 2nd prospect of the Tigers, according to MLB Pipeline, and the 5th number in baseball.
“My heart is breaking,” Spencer Torkelson of Tigers first base said on Saturday. “As soon as I found out, I walked over and hugged him. I wanted to go with him through it. I know how badly he wanted it. He’s going to come back stronger than ever. This team can’t wait to have him. We’re with im the best team. “
Healthy Green is projected as a field player at the center of the Tigers vernissage. The Tigers were to announce that he would break camp with the Grand League team, a Free Press source said.
Then in Friday’s game, Green’s foot was injured.
“I would say it was going in that direction,” Tigers general manager Al-Avila said on Saturday. “Riley did nothing to repel us. Unfortunately, the injury came at a bad time … We hope he will be back on the field soon and at this point we can make another decision.”
Instead of announcing the “two-on-one” the Tigers on Saturday reported that Torkelson, the team’s promising number 1, had won a spot on the list of openings. Green is expected to join the Tigers as soon as he is healthy, although rehab assignments are likely to be the first.
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This spring in 11 games Green reached 0.429 (9 on 21) with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, four rounds, three moves and six strikeouts in 11 games with a percentage of 0.500 at base and 1,048 percent lag.
Victor Reyes will see an increase in playing time on the center field in the absence of Green, and Eric Haase and Willy Castro will also do more reps on the far field. Akil Badu is a starting left field player; Robbie Grossman is in the right field.
The team has no plans to engage free agent outfielder Michael Conforth, a Free Press source said. The 29-year-old is the supreme unsigned free agent. Last season, he scored 0.232, making 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 125 games for the New York Mets. His agent is Scott Borras.
“We are considering all possibilities,” Avila said. “We really are. We talked on the phone in different areas, actually to protect ourselves. But I believe that, most likely, help will come from within our own guys … I think, internally, we can handle it. “
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More information on injuries
Often injured outfielder Derek Hill will start the season on the list of injured with a hamstring. The 26-year-old left Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater with convulsions.
The list of injured will start the season also recently signed by left-hander Andrew Chaffin (groin). The 31-year-old Chaffin said that before the game on Wednesday, when he had to get out of the bullpen, his groin was tense.
Hinch believes both have a chance to return to the Tigers by the end of April.
The registry is moving
After Friday’s game, the Tigers chose catcher Ryan Lavarnue and infiltrators Ryan Chrydler and Jack Lopez in Triple A Toledo.
The Mud Chickens start their season on Tuesday.
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The Tigers have 36 players left in the Premier League camp, including Green, Hill and Cha. They could take 28th on their opening list, ahead of their regular season debut on Friday against the Chicago White Sox at Camerica Park.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more about Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.