After over two months on the injured list, Hunter Greene’s return date to the Reds has now been set. Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan) that Greene is penciled in as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the Phillies.
Greene emerged as the Reds’ ace with an All-Star season in 2024, and he picked up where he left off by posting a 2.72 ERA, 30.8% strikeout rate, and 5.9% walk rate over his first 11 starts and 59 2/3 innings of the 2025 campaign. A right groin strain sent Greene to the IL for a 15-day minimum stint in May and he returned in seemingly good form, but another right groin strain has kept the right-hander sidelined since his last start on June 3.
It seemed like Greene was nearing a return in early July before he experienced some more groin soreness, which set things back and delayed the start of his minor league rehab assignment until after the All-Star break. Greene has pitched four times during his ramp-up work in the minors, and the third of his three Triple-A appearances came on Friday, when he threw 79 pitches over 5 1/3 innings with Triple-A Louisville. Francona said that Greene is “probably not there yet” in terms of being able to toss 100 pitches in a game, but the fact that he maintained his velocity on Friday was the final sign the Reds needed to explore activating him from the IL.
Needless to say, getting Greene back in the rotation is a huge help for Cincinnati’s playoff hopes. The Reds’ 14-8 win over the Pirates today moved the club 1.5 games back of the final NL wild card slot, which is held by a Mets team mired in a seven-game losing streak. While New York’s collapse has opened the door for the Reds, Cincinnati has a tough week ahead, with upcoming series against two red-hot division winners in the Phillies and the Brewers.
Chase Burns had been scheduled to start on Wednesday, but Francona said the Reds have “a lot of things to work through” in determining how the rotation will be altered now that Greene is back. Either Burns or Nick Martinez will be moved to bullpen duty, and both pitchers could ultimately end up as relievers once Nick Lodolo also returns from a blister problem that sent him to the 15-day IL last week. This would give the Reds a projected rotation of Greene, Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and deadline pickup Zack Littell once everyone is healthy, and using the excess starting depth to bolster the pen is a nice luxury for the team.
Burns out of the pen might be our best chance to make the postseason.
You will make the playoffs. You might go far too.
nice problem to have
Life keeps getting worse for the Mets.
………AND it looks like the “worst division in baseball” has a legit shot at sending three teams to the playoffs.
Nice! I wish him all the success for the remainder of the season. He won’t be free of his prison sentence in Cincinnati until he’s 30. Then he can go pitch for a real team.
This Reds team is UNREAL! It’s poised to make the playoffs.
Maybe!
Funny how people in large markets think they have the only “real teams” just because they have hundreds of millions in local TV deals and can afford to pay more.
I’d say the opposite. Only those without those resources prove when they are real teams.
It’s easy to throw money at it rather than build a winning ball club.
All very true, but the jury is out on whether the Reds are capable of of building a winning ball club. Neglecting the offense and lack of power is a testimony to that. Lack of run production has haunted the Reds until recently in the current season. It is hard to dig out of the hole dug, but possible. Poor judgement and a tight purse got us there in the first place.
Agreed on that, Alan. I’ve been more critical of the cheapness and plain ineptitude on not upgrading the obvious holes than just about anyone else.
But the “real teams” comment was the same kind of large market haughty comment you see a lot talking about any team not on a coast, basically.
TobttR
“It’s easy to throw money at it rather than build a winning ball club.”
Spending on the team helps to build a winning team.
Every team in MLB is real
The Redlegs are getting healthy and could make things interesting.
There schedule is brutal down the stretch ! They are going to have to play good baseball twice on west coast with a ton of division games left
Good luck! You are great when healthy
Well, I’ll go ahead and say it. Andujar was a really good choice to bring in the fold. KeBryan Hayes had a timely hit and is continuing to play stellar defense. Littel was only so so today but I’ll run him out there again on his turn. Marte and Steer continues their hot streak. Good job by the FO.
Marte and Steer getting hot is an absolute dream scenario. I also think if we can keep those starters healthy and move Burns and Martinez to the bullpen, it shores up the glaring weaknesses there as well.
IF we can get into the playoffs, we really do have the pitching depth (starting) to hold our own. Hitting? That’s the million dollar question.
BTW how is that qualifying offer with Matinez going. Most overpaid pitcher in baseball besides Verlander!
True. The minimum amount for a qualifying offer is much too high.i
Let’s hope he stays in the rotation this time.
I come around more everyday on the deadline moves reds made. You were hating on that hole in the reds lineup before the deadline, and rightfully so. Yeah you don’t want your 3B batting 9th but he still seems an upgrade over that OF platoon and Andujar is hitting well too so they definitely improved on both sides of the ball. Then Littell will hopefully allow them to move burns to pen for rest of season. Let him come in behind Greene in that 1 game playoff series and that’s a winning combo !
Not sure if we’ll barely make the playoffs or barely miss. But this is far better than just sucking all of the air out of the sky and being out of the mix by May.
I’m entertained.