Riley Greene's season is officially over.
The Tigers' 22-year-old outfielder is undergoing surgery Wednesday on his injured right elbow. The club has officially deemed it a "surgical intervention;" Greene has been sidelined since he sprained his elbow making a diving catch earlier this month.
The Tigers won't actually know the extent of the operation until specialist Dr. Keith Meister goes into Greene's elbow and assesses the damage, A.J. Hinch told reporters Tuesday in Los Angeles. But the belief is that Greene has avoided a worst-case scenario. The Tigers will know more about his timeline and recovery Wednesday.
"Obviously, we need to get through the surgery," said Hinch. "... We do feel good about it. Riley left in good spirits yesterday. We'll see him again in Detroit after the procedure."
It marks the third significant injury of Greene's young career. He also missed the first two and a half months of last season after he fouled a ball off his right foot and broke it and missed another month this season with a stress reaction in his left leg. Now he'll end the year on the shelf.
Given his importance to the team, it's crucial that the Tigers keep Greene healthy moving forward. It might help that he'll be spending most of his time as a corner outfielder starting next season, with Parker Meadows taking over in center. One thing they won't do is tell him to stop playing hard.
"It's in his DNA to play hard," said Hinch. "We'll obviously have conversations in the offseason after we get through this surgery and we have a good picture of what his rehab looks like, what moving to the corner means for him, what sprinkling [games] in center means for him.
"I know what's in his heart, what's in his gut, and how he's going to continue to try to make plays, but he's been on the unlucky side of these injuries. We'll continue to try to figure out the best way to keep him healthy over the long term. It's not an effort thing. It's not a mentality thing. He's not reckless. He's been unlucky."
Greene will end his second season in Detroit with a .288 average and .796 OPS in 99 games. He hit 11 homers, drove in 37 runs and, despite his limited playing time, finished second on the team to Kerry Carpenter in position player WAR (1.9).
Only question now is, can he stay on the field?
