Hunter Greene has been away from the Cincinnati Reds since undergoing another major surgery on his right elbow.
This season has been a massive disappointment for the Cincinnati Reds. The team enters Sunday sitting last in the National League Central, and it remains uncertain what their path forward looks like given how many of their veteran players have struggled this year.
However, the biggest reason for their struggles is the massive loss of right-handed ace Hunter Greene. With him in the mix, their outlook is an entirely different conversation.
Greene has had a lengthy injury history. He underwent his first Tommy John surgery back in April of 2019, just over a year after the Reds drafted him second overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was already a highly regarded prospect at the time of that first procedure.
Greene eventually debuted in 2022, but over the past five seasons he has struggled to stay on the field consistently. He suffered a right shoulder strain his rookie season that cost him over a month. In 2024 during his breakout season he still missed time with right elbow soreness. In 2025 he dealt with a right groin strain that led to two separate injured list stints.
This year elbow injuries have taken over again, and to a much worse extent. He underwent right elbow surgery during spring training to remove loose bodies, originally feeling the discomfort during the 2025 postseason but attempting to push through without surgery before ultimately being unable to.
He returned in the second half and struggled across five starts before another major setback emerged. Elbow soreness led to an MRI that revealed a UCL tear, resulting in a second Tommy John surgery that has not only ended this season but will also cost him the 2027 season.
The Reds have meant everything to Greene and he has always been vocal about how frustrating these setbacks have been. He has been away from the team recovering after the surgery in Los Angeles.
However, ahead of their upcoming series next week against the Dodgers, Greene has decided to rejoin the club according to manager Terry Francona. "He's gonna do his therapy at the ballpark with the trainers early, and then stay," Francona said, according to Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media.
For Greene it is a chance to reconnect with his teammates and offer moral support as he continues his rehab. Although he can no longer make an impact on the field this season, he is still a captain of this team and a key part of the future, as long as Cincinnati does not ultimately decide to trade him.
