TAMPA — Chase Hampton won’t return to the mound anytime soon.
The Yankees pitching prospect underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday, Aaron Boone confirmed following the Bombers’ spring training opener. The brutal outcome came a couple of days after Boone revealed that Hampton had flown back to New York due to a flexor strain and “something going on” with his ulnar collateral ligament.
Hampton, a righty, initially complained about his elbow after throwing a bullpen last Friday.
The operation means another injury-derailed season for Hampton. However, Boone presented a silver lining, stating “there’s a little relief” for the 23-year-old after he battled another flexor strain and a groin injury in 2024.
“He’s really talented and has a chance to be a really good pitcher, and this doesn’t stop that. This just puts a pause on it, and obviously puts a delay on things,” Boone said. “Hopefully there’s a little comfort in knowing that he has a chance now to put this behind him. Long road back, but it doesn’t change what a talented guy he is.”
Hampton’s injuries limited him to seven starts in 2024. He recorded a 2.41 ERA between Rookie Ball, Single-A and Double-A.
A sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech in 2022, Hampton was a consensus top-100 prospect this time last year. He attended his first big league camp last spring and had a chance to position himself as a depth starter this year, but that’s no longer the case.
Hampton has tallied just 27 starts, 125.1 innings and a 3.45 ERA over two professional seasons. He is considered the Yankees’ seventh-best farmhand and third-best pitching prospect, according to Baseball America. Ben Hess and Bryce Cunningham, the Yankees’ first two picks of the 2024 draft, rank ahead of Hampton.
The Yankees’ third pick in the 2024 draft, Thatcher Hurd, also needs Tommy John surgery, per Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes. The right-hander will undergo the procedure next week.
Hurd, a 22-year-old out of LSU, has yet to make his professional debut. Baseball America ranked him 12th in the Yankees’ system.
