Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene could miss rest of 2023 season with elbow injury

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers thought Riley Greene avoided a significant elbow injury on his diving catch in Friday's 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Manager A.J. Hinch expected him to be begging for a pinch-hit opportunity Saturday before returning to the starting lineup Sunday.

And then, Greene woke up Saturday morning.

"It was pretty tight," Greene said. "It was pretty swollen, too."

"He's pretty upset," Hinch said Saturday afternoon. "He doesn't love how his elbow felt when he woke up. He doesn't love missing games. He never wants to be out of the lineup. ... It's another unfortunate incident."

The Tigers placed Greene on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation before Saturday's game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The 22-year-old, the cornerstone piece of the Tigers' future, underwent an MRI scan on Saturday morning that indicated a significant injury.

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Greene will return to Detroit on Sunday evening and is scheduled for a follow-up MRI scan in 7-10 days, once the swelling subsides. He will stay in Detroit — working with physical therapist Duncan Evans — throughout the Tigers' upcoming series in New York against the Yankees, from Tuesday to Thursday.

Even worse, Greene could miss the rest of the 2023 season.

"It sucks," Greene said. "There's no one that wants to be on the field more than me. ... I'll work hard and try to get back. If it doesn't line up, it doesn't line up. It is what it is. Can't really control anything."

Greene, starting in left field, injured his right elbow on an incredible diving catch, robbing Tim Anderson of extra bases, in the fifth inning of Friday's game. He returned to left field for the sixth inning, but the Tigers pulled him ahead of his plate appearance in the seventh inning.

"I don't think I did anything wrong with the dive," Greene said. "I just hit the ground pretty hard."

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The Tigers won't know more about the specifics and severity of the elbow injury until the follow-up scan. By then, the Tigers will have roughly 20 games remaining, as the season ends Oct. 1.

"We know where we are in the calendar," Hinch said. "We know kind of what it takes when you have that type of downtime. I guess we'll know more definitively in the next week or so."

Greene has been described as the heartbeat of the Tigers.

If he doesn't return, Greene's second season will feature a .288 average, 11 home runs, 35 walks and 114 strikeouts over 99 games. He had the best month of his career in May, hitting .365 with a 1.008 OPS in 25 games.

His career-best month was cut short by one game, however, when the Tigers placed him on the injured list May 31 with a left fibula stress reaction. He missed 34 games while recovering and rehabbing before his Aug. 8 return.

Greene, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft, also fractured a bone in his right foot on a foul ball during a spring training game in April 2022. He didn't make the 2022 Opening Day roster because of the injury and didn't join the Tigers for his MLB debut until June 18, 2022.

He has played 192 games in his two-year MLB career.

"It is what it is," Greene said. "I'm going to always play this game hard, no matter what."

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Greene opened the 2023 season as the everyday center fielder but moved to the corner outfield positions — without stirring up any drama — when Parker Meadows showed up in mid-August. He brings a fun-loving personality, coupled with a winning mentality, to the culture of the Tigers.

He demonstrated his style of play with Friday's diving catch.

"I don't want to go to war with anyone else besides these guys," Greene said. "What we have as a team, the team chemistry, it's awesome. It's probably some of the best team chemistry I've been a part of, and we just hope to keep it going."

The Tigers will miss his presence.

"Everything about what we're doing and where we're going centers around Riley," Hinch said. "I think he's a good example for all of our young players as one of the youngest players, if not the youngest player, on our team. He'll get back well and be back in the middle of everything that we're doing. I say it to him off camera, and I say it to him on camera. I love Riley Greene."

The Tigers recalled infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin from Triple-A Toledo to take Greene's spot on the active roster. He hit .122 with one home run, five walks and 12 strikeouts in 22 games across three stints in the big leagues this season.

"Hopefully, he'll be here at or around game time," Hinch said.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene could be done for 2023 with elbow injury