In early January, the New York Yankees were still recovering from the loss of second baseman Gleyber Torres, who signed a one-year, $15 million free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers. However, the team quickly came up with ideas to replace Torres, and one of the most exciting options involved a potential trade with the Minnesota Twins for Carlos Correa, a three-time All-Star and 2015 American League Rookie of the Year. In return, the Yankees would have sent top pitching prospects Will Warren and Chase Hampton to the Twins.
That trade, however, never materialized, and now Hampton’s season is effectively over. In a shocking and unexpected turn of events, the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher from Texas underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday morning in New York City. Just two days earlier, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had mentioned that something was off with Hampton’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow. At the time, Boone shared that Hampton, who was participating in the Yankees’ big league spring training, had been sent to New York for imaging to assess the injury.
The results of the medical tests on Chase Hampton brought devastating news: a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) that would require Tommy John surgery. Hampton made the decision to undergo the procedure immediately, despite it meaning his 2025 season is now over. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that, after dealing with setbacks over the past year, Hampton likely felt the need to fix the issue and get back on track. “Hopefully, there’s a little comfort in knowing he has a chance to put this behind him,” Boone said. “It’s a long road back, but it doesn’t change how talented he is.”
Typically, recovery from Tommy John surgery takes at least a year, so Hampton’s hope of making his MLB debut in 2025 is now gone. He had already been struggling with injuries in 2024, which limited him to just seven starts across three levels of the Yankees’ minor league system.
Hampton was drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2022 draft from Texas Tech. He made his professional debut in 2023, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.68 ERA in nine starts for the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Yankees’ Advanced Single-A team. His impressive performance earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he posted a 4.37 ERA and struck out 68 batters in 59.2 innings with the Somerset Patriots.
Despite the injuries in 2024, Hampton ended the year ranked as New York’s sixth overall prospect and second-ranked pitcher by MLB.com, just behind Will Warren, who made his MLB debut last season. Fangraphs also ranked Hampton sixth overall in the Yankees’ system.
Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen projected Hampton as a potential mid-rotation starter, with the possibility of being a No. 4-5 starter with his fastball in the low 90s. He also noted that if Hampton returns to the form he showed in 2023, he could fit more comfortably in the middle of a rotation. Regardless, MLB teams are always in need of pitching depth as the season progresses, and having homegrown talent like Hampton could have given the Yankees a significant advantage. Unfortunately, that option is now unavailable for at least another year.
