CINCINNATI — Hunter Greene is symbolic of the Reds fortunes in 2026 in so many ways.
On Tuesday, during a side session, he reported feeling soreness in his right elbow. On Wednesday morning he had an MRI at Beacon Orthopedic. On Wednesday afternoon, he landed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow soreness. He’s now got an appointment to see renown orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday to determine if surgery will be needed.
When healthy, Greene had established himself over the course of three seasons as the ace of the Cincinnati staff. The Reds built around him with names like Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Brady Singer. The Reds had all the makings of a powerhouse rotation positioned to win in October. The problem is, barring a near-miraculous finish, they won’t be anywhere close to playing October baseball.
For Greene, drafted second overall in 2017, this is just another road block to his path to greatness. He has already had one Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2019. He dealt with shoulder soreness in his rookie season of 2022. He had a hip issue in 2023, elbow soreness in 2024 and two bouts with groin problems in 2025.
Then, this spring, he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery for bone spurs in his elbow. He appeared to be in the clear with his health until the latest soreness cropped up on Tuesday, though his performance this season has been a mixed bag, going 2-2 with a 6.83 ERA in five starts. He racked up 33 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings as he was re-establishing his elite fastball.
“It’s tough. I mean, he obviously he’s had a couple elbow things throughout this season,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said before Wednesday’s game. “He’s had some other stuff throughout the last couple seasons. So, we know we’re going to get him on the right track and get him back, and hopefully he’ll be in games sooner rather than later. But whatever happens, we just got to support him and whatever we can do to do that.”
On July 10 against the powerful Cubs lineup, it appeared the dominant Greene had returned, striking out 12 and walking one in seven shutout innings while allowing three hits in Cincinnati’s 4-0 win.
The Fastball Phenomenon (2022–2023)
Greene made his highly anticipated MLB debut on April 10, 2022. In just his second career start, he set an MLB record by throwing 39 pitches at or above 100 mph. He completed his rookie year with a 5-13 record but flashed frontline potential with 164 strikeouts across 125.2 innings.The 2023 season brought a mix of spectacular dominance and adversity. Though limited by injuries to 22 starts, Greene pushed his strikeout rate even higher, fanning 152 batters in just 112 innings. His ERA sat at 4.82, heavily impacted by home runs, yet the Reds demonstrated their long-term belief in his talent by signing him to a six-year, $53 million contract extension.
Ace Ascent and All-Star Status (2024–2025)
The right-hander truly evolved into a complete pitcher during the 2024 season. Refining his slider and mixing in a splitter, Greene drastically reduced his hard-contact rates. He earned his first career selection to the National League All-Star team. He concluded 2024 with a stellar 2.75 ERA and 169 strikeouts over a career-high 150.1 innings pitched.Greene carried that elite momentum directly into 2025. Serving as the anchoring ace of the rotation, he turned in 19 stellar starts, posting a 7-4 record paired with an identical 2.76 ERA. Over his 107.2 innings, he gave up just 75 hits while punching out 132 batters. His baseline dominance helped push the Reds into the postseason, where he made his first career playoff start in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All the Reds can do now is sit and wait for that call from Greene and ElAttrache in LA on Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate for him,” Krall said. “I hate how he’s going through this. He obviously had the bone spurs this off season, so hopefully everything’s going to be okay for him.”
