Rough night at the minor league ballpark for Blue Jays pitcher Chad Green ... the reliever was drilled in the head by his own catcher's throw -- and he was in so much pain afterward, he had to leave the game.
The wild incident all went down while Green was making a rehab appearance for Toronto's triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.
In the fifth inning of the tilt against the Worcester Red Sox, Green threw a heater for a ball ... but his catcher, Tyler Heineman, popped up immediately to try to gun down a runner who was trying to steal second base.
Chad Green left tonight's rehab outing in AAA after being hit in the head on a throw to second base.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 9, 2023
You can see Green speaking with trainers here, too, which is good, but of course anything involving the head will need to be checked out. He's close to his #BlueJays debut. pic.twitter.com/CAeujYIwMv
Unfortunately for Green, the baseball didn't make it to its intended target ... 'cause it struck the pitcher right in the back of the head.
Green was in obvious pain as the ball caromed off his dome and ricocheted several feet away ... and while he tried to shake it off, he eventually had to exit the contest.
No word on if Green -- who's been trying to make his way back to the Big Leagues after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season -- suffered any serious ailments from the play ... although he was able to walk off under his own power.
As for the game, the Bisons went on to lose without the pitcher ... 10-9.