Yankees top pitching prospect undergoes Tommy John surgery

Yankees pitching prospect Chase Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery Friday morning, reports Greg Joyce of The New York Post. He’ll miss the 2025 season and part of the 2026 campaign.

The news doesn’t come out of nowhere. A few days ago, manager Aaron Boone relayed that Hampton had a right flexor strain and “something going on in the UCL.” He was sent to New York for more testing. Further examination of his ulnar collateral ligament appears to have revealed the necessity for surgery. It’s unfortunate for Hampton, who will now miss at least a year of development time. For the Yankees, it’s more of a long-term concern than a short-term one.

The Yanks have a loaded rotation right now. Marcus Stroman is reportedly on the trade block because the five starting spots are taken by Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. The club also has depth options like JT Brubaker, Will Warren and Yoendrys Gómez on the roster.

Hampton, 23, was selected with a sixth-round pick in 2022. He made 20 minor league starts in 2023, logging 106 2/3 innings with a 3.63 earned run average. He struck out 33.1% of batters faced against an 8.4% walk rate. Going into 2024, Baseball America ranked him the No. 6 prospect in the club’s system. Last year was a bit of a struggle for him. Various injuries, including a flexor strain, limited him to 18 2/3 innings.

The righty will hopefully be healthy by the end of 2026, but by that point, he will have thrown very few innings over the 2024-26 period. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December 2025, so the Yanks must decide whether to give him a roster spot or leave him exposed.

Geoff Pontes of Baseball America reports that Thatcher Hurd, another Yankee pitching prospect, will also require Tommy John surgery. Hurd, 22, was selected with a third-round pick in 2024 and has yet to make his professional debut. BA had Hurd listed as the club’s No. 12 prospect going into the season. Like Hampton, he will also miss the 2025 season and part of 2026.