Top pitching prospect Hunter Greene has made the Reds’ Opening Day roster and will pitch out of the rotation to begin the season, manager David Bell announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
Tyler Mahle will start on Opening Day and be followed by lefty Reiver Sanmartin, righty Vladimir Gutierrez and Greene. Cincinnati has an early off-day that’ll allow them to skip the fifth spot in the rotation the first time through, and Mahle has already been announced as the starter for their fifth game (which is also their home opener). The Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale adds that whoever is settled upon as the fifth member of the rotation will likely start the sixth game of the season.
Greene, 22, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Initially selected as a two-way player, he’s since been shifted solely to the mound and has done little to drop his stock in the years since being drafted. Tommy John surgery wiped out Greene’s 2019 season, but he’s returned with the same triple-digit heater and wicked slider that made him such a coveted player as an amateur. He currently ranks among MLB’s 35 best prospects according to each of Baseball America, MLB.com, FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus, ESPN and The Athletic (where Keith Law is most bullish on him, placing him No. 12 overall).
Greene split the 2021 season between the Reds’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, pitching to a combined 3.30 ERA with a 31.7% strikeout rate, an 8.9% walk rate and a 43.8% ground-ball rate over the life of 106 1/3 innings. That marked a new career-high in innings pitched for Greene, which comes as little surprise given 2019’s surgery and the lack of a minor league season in 2020. The Reds may yet be cautious with Greene’s workload — both on a per-start basis and with regard to the season as a whole — but he’ll be given the opportunity to grow that innings total at the big league level.
The news on Greene comes just one day after the Pirates drew flak for optioning top infield prospect Oneil Cruz to the minors to begin the season. Situations like this were a focal point for the MLBPA during this offseason’s wave of collective bargaining, as players pushed the league to incentivize front offices to carry their best prospects to begin the season rather than hold them in the minors for a few weeks to secure an additional year of club control. Under the 2021-26 CBA, teams can be awarded draft picks if they carry top prospects to begin the season and those players go on to finish well in awards voting.
It’s eminently possible that Cincinnati might’ve included Greene in the Opening Day rotation even in the absence of those new stipulations, as the offseason trade of Sonny Gray and injuries to Luis Castillo and Mike Minor have thinned out the Reds’ options. Regardless, Greene’s forthcoming debut gives Reds fans plenty to be optimistic for after a frustrating offseason that was more focused on trimming payroll than improving the 2022 roster.
If Greene is in the big leagues for good, he’ll accrue a full year of service time in 2022 and be on track to reach free agency following the 2027 season, when he’d be just 28 years of age. As things stand, he’d be on track to reach arbitration following the 2024 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
That’s awesome! Love it
It’s hard not to like young hard throwers. I remember when the Reds drafted him I thought that was a great choice. Something to look forward to for Reds fan. I’m old enough to remember the days of Eric Davis/Barry Larkin. Hopefully the Reds turn this franchise back around.
Indeed.
I’m old enough to remember Don Gullet and before, but yeah, congratulations. Cincy fans deserve better.
Yes!
Likewise. The young pitching should be something to be excited about this year!
I’m old enough to remember Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson. Reds definitely deserve the old day glory
Same here. This is the lowest point for the Reds since they broke up the Big Red Machine.
@McGriff…what?
it’s easy to not like hard young throwers. and I guessed without even looking, triple digits , 22 and already tommy john! who would’ve known! I only hope the best for this kid, but all these kids coming up with their ego “Oh look how hard I can throw” yea good luck with that
Insufferable much or what?
what in the world?
@braves2. Welcome to modern baseball.
I don’t think it is about their egos at all, @braves2. Rather, that is how they are being coached & trained now.
Trade Miley to save money but then start his clock now? I’m confused with the inconsistency! I don’t like manipulation at all and happy the fans get to see him, hopefully will not make them less competitive in a season with more opportunity!
glad the Reds aren’t manipulating his service time… let the young guns play! Get Lodolo in there now
Hopefully Lodolo is the 5th man. He’s certainly is pitching well enough to earn it.
Yes!
The problem is that with the new rules, if you bring him up right after the service time period you risk him getting ROY votes and losing that year anyway. It seems to me that the new CBA incentivizes either bringing them up right away or well into the season, no middle ground.
Don’t worry, after a month of struggling they can just send him down and get that extra year.
That assumes he will struggle.
Service time manipulation isn’t exactly about money.
Way the Reds have been operating they will likely trade him before that arb 3 money. They may think they are contenders this year. At this point I don’t try to figure out what the Reds and Rockies are doing.
Even if they do trade him before he makes it to arb 3 he’d have more trade value if he’s arb eligible a fourth time after 2027 rather than being a free agent outright at that point. Reds already declined to manipulate service time on Jonathan India a year ago so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.
Hunter Greene just happens to be one of my favorite colors
An excellent choice for shingles & cafe racers.
Minee tooo
Mine too, good one.
Is Hunter Greene strictly a pitcher now? When he was drafted, I couldn’t help but picture a true two-way player. And now with Ohtani’s success, the experiment would be a much easier argument to make.
Check his stats on the linked page. Doesn’t look like he’s picking up a bay
Yes! I was keeping an eye on him because of the potential two way implications. But apparently he’s settled in as a pitcher
Ohtani is the extreme exception to the rule. Literally everyone else has to pick one or the other. Otherwise they end up like Brendan McKay over in Tampa.
It works for Ohtani because he doesn’t play defense. If he had to play the Outfield regularly he too would have to eventually choose. Greene trying to be a Pitcher and SS was probably never going to happen at the big league level. However, with the DH in the NL now maybe he will get a chance on offense one day
This paves the way to Reds/Royals in 2044.
You think Greene will still be Pitching for the Reds, or still Pitching in general 22 years from now?
Lol. Yes!
Except that in ‘43, the Reds will “not rebuild,” but still just give away talent.
Gotta be Lodolo based on how he’s pitched.
Probably not Lodolo unless both Castillo and Minor have significant setbacks. Lodolo isn’t on the 40-man so that would involve not just starting his service clock but also cutting someone else. Maybe just Santillan/Hoffman/bullpen until they have Castillo and/or Minor.
Lodolo is not on the 40 man roster, that’s why Greene made the rotation.
I was so angry when the Minnesota Twins took Royce Lewis in the first pick that year instead of Hunter. They’ve always needed pitching and they blew it. I know he isn’t established yet but anything would be better than what they have now.
i was down on this dude after the first few seasons, but he really made me a believer last year.
I think a pitcher with injury issues shouldn’t waste any bullets in AAA. Different story than position player Cruz IMHO. Good for Reds.
I think a pitcher with injury issues shouldn’t waste any bullets in AAA. Different story than position player Cruz IMHO
I never thought about it like that, but I think I agree.
The Hunter Greene situation so far reminds me of what happened with Chris Paddack’s rookie season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Greene’s innings limited to 150 or so in 2022.
Yes, only increase his innings by 50% in a much more stressful environment.
Typically, workload is increased 35% (or less) year to year.
Don’t fear the Reiver! More cowbell!
Not a whole lot of MLB experience in that pitching rotation., Should be interesting.
Castillo and Minor aren’t going to be out terribly long. FWIW I think Gutierrez and Sanmartin are better suited for the pen
Cheers to that
This is great, now the Reds can finally trade him!
@Yankee Clipper- Let’s hope the Reds trade us Luis Castillo now. With Deivi and Hunter, Cincinnati could have the makings of something special.
Yeah, it’s too bad he’s currently experiencing shoulder issues. Yankees already lost German until at least June to shoulder problems. Depending on how serious the issue becomes they may very well destroy any real trade value they had with Castillo.
I think patching last year’s club on the fly has given Cash even greater confidence to enter into a season with a flawed roster.
To be fair, it worked out – Homer Heaney aside – to – at the very least – ownership expectations. Meaning: it resulted in a playoff spot. Cash added much needed left handed hitters, defense, & a couple middle relievers.
He did pretty well.
Aside from Heaney – mercifully – those are all assets for this season too. More & more, I feel like ’22 is going to come down to how well Cashman navigates the deadline again.
It’s not what I want, yet it is what it is as the wise man said.
Nice, good luck to Greene. Really wanted the Twins to draft him.
Unrelated but ONeil Cruz is a 6’7” SS?!?
I had to check and he is 6’7”. I have never seen a shortstop that tall.
Cruz is the tallest SS in MLB history. It is seemingly possible because of his size that he will not stick at the position and will most likely be moved to an 1B/COF in the future
Probably won’t be a SS long. Not that he can’t improve and stick there. They just have another ss coming up that is better defensively.
Most people aren’t smart and the Pirates are easy to pick on. And they absolutely like most teams would hold a player back for the extra control. But in this case Cruz is only a Mlb ready DH. He needs minor league time to improve at SS and learn outfield.
Well, the Reds did at least one thing right. Let’s see what he can do!
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.
Those that remember Homer Bailey..he went through the same thing. He was stuck at AAA and everyone wanted to bring him up. I hope Hunter doesn’t suffer the same fate..gets up here then doesn’t pitch well.
stuck? he held his own despite being six years younger than the average age at AAA and coming off a handful of lost seasons.
I once again question the Reds plans. Trade Gray, Winker & Suarez, to make unlikely that you can make the playoffs. The promote Greene to ensure his service time ends one year early.
One of the 2 worst run teams. Hard to criticize them for not holding a player back if he is mlb ready. Very nice of them. But that extra year is tuff to lose.
This compounds that idiocy of this offseason’s fire sale.
Greene and Lodolo are ready. If either really pans out, it’s going to hurt that much more that the Reds didn’t keep a team intact that could take advantage.
As it stands, even if Greene comes out and wins 20 games, the Reds are still likely to lose 100 games.
It’s almost as if a rival GM has hacked into the Reds’ system and is making all these moves.
They can always option Greene later in the season, and probably will if he hits any rough patch at all. He won’t necessarily get a full year service time.
@Joe
Yeah. They’re taking that risk with Greene but his innings are going to be limited this year and I bet he gets optioned down at some point. Stupid to take the chance—I agree with you completely there.
I’m a Brewers fan, but I’ll be pulling for this guy. There are so few African American starters these days.
There are so few active caucasians suspended for PED use, So I’m rooting for… Well, when it happens, I’m rooting for him.
I don’t care about what nationality someone is, if he’s a good guy I’m rooting for him, if he’s not, then I’m not.
Interesting. I’m white and I couldn’t care less how many white players there are on my Raiders. I loved signing Adams and trading for Jones, and, aghast, I’d like to sign Gilmore.
What a novel idea, put your best players on the field instead of manipulating service time so some other team can have more control when you trade them because you are to cheap (Nutting) to field a real major league team. IE Oneil Cruz
Congratulation on a completely STUPID comment. Get the facts next time. More curious who was dumb enough to upvote it, unless it was you.
Uh, did you miss the rest of the Reds’ offseason?
Greene is only up til Castillo and/or Minor are back and then he will be sent back to “limit his innings” and be brought back later in the season
Yep, they’ll inevitably want to “limit his innings” or let him “work on a few adjustments.” Long enough to get him under the full year.
looking forward to his debut as a giant…. I mean that is where all reds pitchers end up right?
Man, I go to read something about the Reds and long behold, Pittsburgh Pirates end up being in the article.
@Steve Adams do you really have that much hatred towards the Pittsburgh Pirates? You always want to bring negativity to the Pirates in nearly everything your write. Have you seen Oneil Cruz defensive metrics at SS? He is a below average SS and they are attempting to transition him to the OF. The guy is 6’7 and playing at a position that normally has guys no taller that 6 foot. You love stats Mr. Adams, so please take the time and see the defensive spectrum of Cruz. I am eager to see him in the big leagues, but NOT at SS. 2020 was a lost season for every minor leaguer. 2021 was a revaluation of the lost season and the Pirates started to play him in the OF at the tail end of the 2021 season. So, please stop with the negativity towards Pittsburgh Pirates. Do your homework before declaring player manipulation in regards to Cruz. He also batted under .200 this spring (last I checked before his demotion). Let the kid figure it out one more year in the minors. Billy Beane was rushed to the majors and was out of baseball within 5 years. Why rush Cruz when he isn’t clearly ready?
Some of the writers are still fighting the work stoppage. It’s over, the fans never mention it, but the writers feel compelled to treat every minor league prospect as someone that should be in the pros. This is Adell’s 3rd season in the pros, and is only now stating to look like he ‘might’ be a plus player.
They whined about Kelenic, but he didn’t hit, and looking at the ST stats, it isn’t a lock to be successful this season. Like it or not, there is a process behind all of this.
@JoeBrady some writers are more biased towards small markets clubs or certain teams. This last year or so, I seen Mr. Adams posting some unrealistic expectations by the Pirates. Before 2020, he was also negative towards Marlins for a few years. I seen him write negative about KC and Tampa too. But any big market team like Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, etc. he has nothing but positive writing regardless of any short comings. He’s praised Angels and Phillies regardless of their season statistics. This is where I find Adams more biased than “neutral” as a writer should be. The fan base of Pittsburgh morale, is low but looking forward to the next few years. Having a writer making an invalid claim about Oneil Cruz, will rub the die hard fans wrong. The die hard fans that acknowledge he isn’t a SS and not quite ready for the show. Writers see 2 HRs he golfed out of the park and demand they sit on the MLB roster. Misinformation seems to be the thing around here
I would like to hear his response to your question. The only answer I can see making sense is him admitting to being stupid or a pirate hater. Not going to happen. I don’t think having the worst defensive ss in baseball is a reasonable answer. Or having a guy learn to play the outfield on the fly. Or wasting his running and throwing by using him as a dh. Would love to see what lame excuse he can come up with.
Doesn’t bother me though. I just come here for the comments. I don’t expect any sports reporter to actually have a strong understanding of how teams operate.
@YourDreamGM He wouldn’t provided much from the DH position. Be batted under .200 before his demotion. And that is pitchers not being dialed in and throwing lob pitches. The two home runs, were golfed out of the park. One with a nice breeze going out of the park that could have helped that HR. He has a lot of raw power and it’s expected for his size. He doesn’t have everything quite together offensively and defensively. He’s definitely a interesting prospect to watch. I don’t know who to root for more Cruz or Gonzales to make it to the majors this year. Both have done magical things in their own way through the system. Preister and Davis are the next two I am excited to see coming up. There are other deserving names like Bae, Swaggerty, and Mason Martin that I can also root for. Cruz, Gonzales, Priester, and Henry Davis are my top 4 favorites right now.
@PiratesFan1981 When did he bat under .200? I thought he batted 300 something this spring. I know he didn’t bat under 200 anywhere last year.
From what I seen the bat is MLB ready. Always room to improve and hope it does. But if they were in late season playoff contention right now I would want that bat. But April on a non contender I want him to not only improve that bat but work on defense.
A comment by Mr. Adams would be interesting. He either can say that Cruz really is a shortstop, despite a pathetic .927 fielding percentage, or say he should play RF, even though he’s never logged an inning there.
Go get ’em, Hunter!
What does everyone make of the new MLB Home Run Derby X?
Is there a Humidor?
Hey Reds fans: What do you think about San Martin? What are your expectations about him?
I see him more of a bullpen guy than starting. He has a good arm. My best guess is when Castillo or Minor come back from the IL, he goes down to AAA
I like San Martin alot…and I like HG…but Lodo for me has been the most impressive..
Next Nolan Ryan in the making.
Red Greene. Canadians will appreciate this.