Yankees reliever Chad Green will need to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his elbow, the team announced Sunday. As we know all too well by now, that means the right-hander will miss the rest of the 2022 season and a decent portion of the 2023 season.
Green, 30, has a 3.00 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 16 strikeouts against five walks in 15 innings this season. He racked up 83 2/3 innings with 99 strikeouts last season and has been one of the Yankees' most valuable relievers the past several years, especially due to his ability to work multiple innings when the club is in a bind.
The timing of this injury is unfortunate for Green. He hadn't previously been on the injured list since 2016 and he's set to hit free agency for the first time this coming offseason. He'll still find work, but this injury surely costs him millions in free agency.
As for the Yankees, the bullpen has been a strength in recent years and losing Green is certainly a tough blow. They've still got closer Aroldis Chapman with setup men Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta while Michael King will remain invaluable in many different roles. Jonathan Loaisiga and Lucas Luetge getting past early struggles would help mitigate the loss of Green and perhaps Clarke Schmidt is having a breakout season.
The Yankees entered Sunday with MLB's best record at 29-10, which is good for a 5 1/2 game lead in the AL East.
