Hunter Greene Will Have Surgery On Wednesday

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Dateline: Goodyear, Arizona

Loose bodies in his right elbow will keep Reds ace Hunter Greene out until July.

Greene was examined in Los Angeles and by Dr. Timothy Kremchek and both concluded that arthroscopic surgery to be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache was best.

Greene received a PRP hormone injection on October 28 and rest were prescribed but the condition didn't improve sufficiently enough for Greene to compete.

The 26-year old right hander the Reds first round pick in the 2017 draft showed signs of injury by his performance in his lone Cactus League outing against the Milwaukee Brewers on February 28.

He allowed four runs and got no one out in the first inning. Under spring training rules the Reds were allowed to take him out and put him back in for the second inning. His second inning was scoreless.

"We are hoping to have him back in 14-16 weeks or sometime around  July pitching in a Major League game," Nick Krall said. "It is definitely good news compared to what it could have been. The ligament is intact."

A repaired ligament would have kept him out for 16 months instead of 16 weeks. Greene had his ligament repaired in August 2018 and missed the entire 2019 season.

He returned in 2021 after Covid. Greene made his first big league start and appearance on April 10 in Atlanta, a 6-3 win. He pitched 7 1/3 innings of a combined no hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates with Art Warren. The Pirates scored the lone run in a 1-0 game without a hit.

The Reds have never had a full season out of Greene. He made a career-high 26 starts in 2024. He was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA and 169 strikeouts, making the All-Star team.

"We are frustrated that he hasn't had a full season and he is probably frustrated too," Krall said. 

Greene pitched well last season. He made 19 starts and had a 2.76 ERA and 420 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings. He had a strained groin that kept him out from June 4 to August 13. Greene pitched a complete game shutout against the Chicago Cubs on September 18.

Greene reported to pitching coach Derek Johnson a little soreness and made his last start on September 24. Greene started the first game of the National League Wild Card series against the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers on September 30. He gave up five earned runs on six hits, including three home runs in three innings.

"I know he told DJ that he felt it a little but he always told me he felt fine. We, the trainers and everybody would never send someone out there, that we didn't think should be out there, ever," Terry Francona said. "Plus I liked the way he was pitching. It is hard sometimes, if you sat everyone who had a little soreness, you wouldn't have a team but you can't look inside some one's body."

Greene consulted with Dr. ElAttrache and had a PRP hormone injection to treat the elbow on October 28.

"He said he felt really good," Francona said before his spring training start. "He said about a week before spring training he felt it that's when we started to start to monitor his elbow."

The Reds saw signs in his Cactus League start.

"You could tell he was having trouble throwing his split (split finger fastball). He didn't throw his splitter at all. You could tell he was pulling his slider. It wasn't his fastball," Krall said.

The Reds now have two starting rotation spots open instead of one.

Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson, who himself is recovering from surgery and 15 months of rehab.

"We will miss him (Greene) there is no getting around that," Francona said. "We done a better job on our depth. We have guys coming back, like Williamson and (Julian) Aguiar. The younger guys are fighting for jobs. And it is just the way we feel about our group. They will go and compete. I don't see anyone, remotely feeling sorry for themselves. Every day you pick up your paper or your phone, there is a pitcher out. It is just the way the game is. We'll be ok."