New York Yankees right-hander Chase Hampton, the No. 2 pitching prospect in the club’s farm system, underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday morning. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the Yankees’ sixth-rated overall prospect.
The surgery came two days after Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters at spring training in Tampa, Fla., that it was feared Hampton, 23, had “something going on” in his right ulnar collateral ligament.
The news first was reported by Greg Joyce of the New York Post.
While the timeline for recovery isn’t known, it is certain Hampton will miss the entire 2025 season. It’s a devastating blow for Hampton, who was limited to just seven games last season because of what was diagnosed as a flexor strain, then followed by a groin injury.
The Yankees selected Hampton in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech, and he had a productive first pro season in 2023. At Double-A Somerset and High-A Hudson Valley. Hampton made 20 starts and finished 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 106.2 innings, posting a 3.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He entered the 2024 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 72 prospect in the game.
In all, Hampton has thrown 125.1 innings in the Yankees farm system and has a 4-4 record and a 3.45 ERA.
Boone said Wednesday he knew how disappointed Hampton was with another injury.
“We’ll see what we have here, but just having an uneven season last year with some injuries, I know he’s pretty bummed about that,” the manager said.
