Getty
Chase Hampton #86 of the New York Yankees
It was only two years ago that Yankees pitcher Chase Hampton was the top mound prospect in the organization, as ranked by MLB.com. He was No. 4 overall, a 21-year-old draft pick from Texas Tech who had potential as a strikeout artist with a 99-mph fastball.
But 2024 was something of a disaster for Hampton, as he dealt with injuries to his shoulder and groin as well as, most significantly, his elbow. Hampton threw only 18.2 innings across seven starts that season, then underwent elbow surgery in February of last year.
He is still recovering. But in the excitement that has emerged early this season as the Yankees await the returns of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt, Hampton has been lost in the shuffle. But a return to form for him could be decidedly significant for a Yankees rotation that is thin, at least until it gets healthy.
Don’t Sleep on Chase Hampton
It appeared this week that, while many Yankees observers have forgotten about Hampton, Aaron Boone forgot about him, too. The Yankees manager was not certain whether he expected to see Hampton on the mound for the team this spring. But Hampton, at least, is on the mound these days.
Said Boone on Saturday: “I don’t know his progression, so to speak. I’ve seen a couple of his bullpens now and it keeps ticking up. I know he is chomping at the bit for a little bit more because he is feeling really good as well.
“Sometimes, when you’re a big prospect and you have a surgery that knocks you out, you get off that ‘word of mouth’ list as prospects are building their value. It’s important to remember how big of a year he had back in ‘24, and there’s still a lot of reason to be excited as he gets closer to being back to full bore. He looks pretty good right now.”
Hampton made only seven starts between Single- and Double-A, but was 0-1 with a 2.41 ERA in those starts.
Yankees Have Rotation Holes
While it is not expected that Hampton will be in the Yankees rotation coming out of spring training, he is certainly a depth piece that the team could need to activate during the season, especially if there are other hang-ups in bringing pitchers back from injury.
As it stands, The Yankees are hoping to hold the fort down in the starting rotation once the early portion of the season gets going,. The Bombers have other injured starters–Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt–also on the shelf to open the year.
Rodon is expected to be the first one back after having had surgery after last season. He could appear on the mound this spring, and be in the rotation in late April or early May.
Schmidt will take longer, as he is recovering, too, from elbow surgery and probably won’t be on the mound again until after the All-Star break.
When Hampton will be back ins up in the air. But he can bring some forgotten depth to a rotation that badly need it.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
More Sports
Loading more stories