Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Green (21) is watching from the dugout in the 8th inning of Game 2 of the Major League Baseball (MLB) National League wild card game held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, USA on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason after losing 8-4 to the reigning World Series champion La Dodgers. Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene will be out until July due to a bone injury in his right elbow.
Surgery to remove the fragments will be required before an official assessment can be made of Green’s condition for the 2026 season. Removal of bone spurs could be a sign of ligament damage, which is expected to be measured at surgery scheduled for Wednesday.
Greene has visited several specialists, including Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Tommy John surgery on Greene in 2019 and has been bothered by right elbow issues this month.
The team said ElAttrache recommended the injection late in the 2025 season in response to Greene experiencing elbow soreness. This relief was temporary and not a solution to eradicate sagging, which is what the current Los Angeles surgery aims to do.
Reds manager Terry Francona said on March 4 that Greene was experiencing stiffness in his elbow.
The 26-year-old flamethrower made 19 starts last season as the Reds advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
“We have to get this,” Francona said. “You know, you’re asking the guy to go out and throw as hard as he can. We have to make sure he’s okay.”
Left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott is scheduled to start Cincinnati’s Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox on March 26.
Green made just one spring training appearance, allowing five hits and four runs with no strikeouts in one inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The right-hander is one of the strongest pitchers in baseball, averaging 99.5 mph on his fastball last season, ranking first among pitchers who threw at least 1,250 pitches. He reached speeds over 100 mph a total of 296 times, which was second in MLB last season.
However, he has battled injuries throughout his career. He was sidelined in 2022 due to a shoulder injury, was placed on the injured list twice in 2023 due to hip pain and in 2025 due to a right groin injury, and pitched only 107 2/3 innings.
The second overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by Cincinnati has lived up to the hype when healthy.
He has posted an ERA above 2.76 each of the past two seasons and was selected as an All-Star in 2024 after going 9-5 with a career-high 2.75 ERA over a career-high 150 1/3 innings.
Over four seasons in the major leagues, Green started 91 games and recorded 25 wins, 29 losses, a 3.65 ERA, 179 walks, and 617 strikeouts.
–Field level media
