Blue Jays reliever Chad Green in concussion protocol after getting hit in head by throw from his catcher

Chad Green's long road back to MLB may have just gotten a little bit longer.

The rehabbing Toronto Blue Jays reliever has entered the MLB's concussion protocol and will be sidelined for at least seven more days after he was hit in the head by a throw on Tuesday.

Green left Tuesday's Triple-A outing with the Buffalo Bisons after getting hit in the head by a throw from his catcher Tyler Heineman, who was trying to eliminate a runner on a stolen base attempt.

Green departed after two-thirds of an inning in which he gave up one hit on 11 pitches. The 32-year-old was able to walk off the field under his own power and it doesn't appear he was seriously hurt, judging by his conversation on the mound with the Bisons' trainer.

The Blue Jays signed the longtime New York Yankee to a complicated two-year deal last offseason knowing he was in the midst of recovering from Tommy John surgery. Green's timeline for a return was always sometime after the All-Star break and he appeared to be very close to making his season debut. It's unclear whether Tuesday's incident will set him back.

Green's rehab stint has been extremely successful to this point as he has yet to surrender a run in six games (6.2 innings) across two minor-league levels. The right-hander has allowed four hits and hasn't walked a batter while recording seven strikeouts.

His looming return to the Blue Jays figures to boost a relief corps that has already excelled in 2023. Toronto's bullpen owns the seventh-best ERA in the majors, has the fifth-best K/9 rate and ranks second in stranding inherited baserunners.

Green owns a career 3.17 ERA over his seven MLB seasons, all of which have come with the Yankees.