Detroit Tigers' young superstar Riley Greene says his surgically-repaired non-throwing elbow feels "normal" as spring training gets set to start.
Per Tigers' reporter Chris McCosky on social media:
Riley Greene on his swing post-Tommy John surgery (right elbow): "The first couple of swings I took when I started my hitting progression went really good. Didn't feel a thing. It really feels normal now."
While Greene may be eased into spring training action this year, it looks like he should be available for the Tigers once Opening Day rolls around at the end of March.
And that's great news for a Tigers team that is looking to contend in 2024. After finishing second in 2023, the team has added veterans Kenta Maeda, Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha. They also expect to get healthy seasons out of Greene, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning, which would go a long ways towards their continued development.
The 23-year-old battled multiple injuries in 2023 and only played in 99 games, but he did play quite well when healthy. He hit .288 with 11 homers and 37 RBI while also stealing seven bases. Along with Spencer Torkelson, he makes up a solid young core of position players for manager A.J. Hinch.
He made his major league debut in 2022 and owns a .271/.335/.739 slash line with 16 home runs.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the Tigers this week. Detroit opens up the regular season on March 28 against the division rival Chicago White Sox.
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