Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene will be sidelined until July as he prepares to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. The procedure will look to remove bone chips from his throwing arm which had been causing discomfort.
Greene was forced out of training camp last week after reporting elbow stiffness. The 26 year old underwent a battery of tests, and even met with renowned Tommy John surgery expert Dr. Neal ElAttrache to receive a second opinion.
In the end, Greene avoided a season ending procedure, but will nevertheless be sidelined for the first half of the MLB campaign. The hard throwing righty went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 2025, but was limited to just 107.2IP. Only Mason Miller had more pitches of 100mph or faster in 2025 than Greene.
Durability has been an issue in his young career thus far, and that doesn’t appear to be changing in 2026. After making the NL All-Star team in 2024, many assumed Greene was the front of the rotation ace that Cincinnati had been searching for. But two separate stints on the injured list last season limited the effectiveness of the former 2nd overall pick from 2017.
Greene is entering the fourth season of a six-year, $53M extension. The native of Los Angeles, CA will earn $8M this year before making $15M and $16M in 2027-28. Cincinnati then holds a $21M club option (with a $2M buyout) for 2029.
Now, the Reds will turn to Andrew Abbott to be their Opening Day pitcher against Boston on March 26th. He’ll likely be followed by some combination of Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder with Greene headed for the 60 Day IL once the team needs to clear a roster spot.
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