Ex-Yankees pitcher Chad Green hit in head, suffers concussion

Ex-Yankee and current Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher Chad Green has been moved to a seven-day concussion list after a throw hit him on the head. While he was playing in a Triple-A rehab game to recover from an injury, the catcher’s attempt to throw the ball to second base accidentally hit Chad Green in the back of his head.

In the middle of the fifth inning in a Triple-A baseball between the Buffalo Bisons and the Worcester Red Sox, there was a moment that caught everyone’s attention. Ryan Fitzgerald, the shortstop for the Worcester Red Sox, decided to dash from first base to second base, aiming to steal the base. He made this move right at the same time that Chad Green, the pitcher representing the Buffalo Bisons, was getting ready to throw the ball to the batter.

Chad Green didn’t bend down far enough after he threw the ball, and because of that, the catcher, Tyler Heineman, tried to throw the ball to second base, but it accidentally hit Chad Green in the head.

When the Bison’s team saw that Chad Green had been hit, they quickly responded. But what’s impressive is that Ryan Fitzgerald, who was paying close attention, managed to dash to third base before the game was temporarily stopped.

Right when everyone was focused on Chad Green, Fitzgerald made a fast move and got to third base in no time.

Even though Chad Green was clearly hurting while standing on the pitcher’s mound, he toughed it out and stayed on his feet. However, the trainers had to come onto the field to help him, and they took him off for more tests to figure out what was wrong.

Chad Green left tonight's rehab outing in AAA after being hit in the head on a throw to second base.

You can see Green speaking with trainers here, too, which is good, but of course anything involving the head will need to be checked out. He's close to his #BlueJays debut. pic.twitter.com/CAeujYIwMv
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 9, 2023

Chad Green’s rehab

In June of 2022, during his tenure with the Yankees, Chad Green underwent Tommy John surgery. In a subsequent move, he inked a two-year deal with the Blue Jays in January.

Yankees reliever Chad Green with wife Jenna at Norton Sports, Louisville. — courier-journal

Right now, Green is working on getting back into shape after having Tommy John surgery. He’s on a special training program to help him recover, and he’s getting ready to play his first game for the Blue Jays soon.

The positive thing is that Green managed to leave the field on his own without needing help. Maintaining his balance and awareness, the 32-year-old reliever confidently exited the field unassisted.

Before his injury, he pitched for 0.2 innings and gave up just one hit. This was Chad Green’s third time playing in a rehab game with Buffalo. So far, he has pitched for a total of 3 and 1/3 innings without giving up any runs, and he has managed to strike out three players.

A recap of his career

During the beginning of his professional baseball career, Chad Green played all seven of his first major league seasons with the Yankees. He did really well, with a strong 3.17 earned run average (ERA) in a total of 272 games, and he even made 24 starts.

In June 2022, Chad Green had a surgery called Tommy John surgery to fix his arm. After that, in January 2023, he decided to leave the Yankees and become a free agent. He signed a contract with the Blue Jays for two years, and it was worth $8.5 million.

If Chad Green can successfully finish his recovery process, he’s predicted to take on a role as a middle-relief pitcher for Toronto. He’ll be supporting Jordan Hicks, a recently added reliever, and also the closer, Jordan Romano. Unfortunately, Romano has been dealing with a back issue and hasn’t been able to play since July 29.

When Chad Green comes back, he’s likely to play as a middle-relief pitcher for the Blue Jays.

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