Reds To Place Hunter Greene On IL With Groin Strain
Right right-hander Hunter Greene has a grade 1 right groin strain, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. He has not yet been placed on the 15-day injured list but manager Terry Francona says that will happen before Greene’s turn in the rotation comes up again. There’s no strict rush to make the move, as IL stints can be backdated by as many as three days. Even if the IL move isn’t officially made for a day or two, he would be eligible to return on the same date.
It’s an unfortunate but not shocking development. Greene departed last night’s contest after just three innings. He came out to warm up for the fourth but called a trainer out to the mound and was removed from the game. The Reds announced it as a right groin injury and that he would be undergoing an MRI.
It’s still not clear how long they expect him to be out of action but it seems the Reds will be without their ace for at least a couple of turns through the rotation. Greene has an excellent 2.36 earned run average through eight starts so far this year. He’s had a bit of help from a .224 batting average on balls in play and a 92.5% strand rate but his 34.7% strikeout rate and 4.5% walk rate are both excellent figures. His 30.1% K-BB% is actually tops among qualified pitchers this year. ERA estimators like his 3.07 FIP and 2.41 SIERA suggest he’d still be having great results even with some regression in the luck department.
Losing that kind of performance would be a blow for any club. The Reds are 19-19 and trying to stay afloat in the National League race. Obviously, subtracting Greene doesn’t help, regardless of who comes up to take his place.
They will be left with Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott to start their next four games. The team is off on Monday and could theoretically stick with those four guys on regular rest through next Friday, but they would need to figure something else out by next weekend. That could be giving a rotation spot to someone else, just a spot start or some creative solution such as a bullpen game.
Chase Petty is on the 40-man roster and made his major league debut already this year, so he would be an option to be recalled. Rhett Lowder probably isn’t an immediate option. He’s been on the 15-day IL all year due to a forearm strain. He recently started a rehab assignment, tossing three innings in the Complex League on Tuesday, but he’ll probably need another few weeks to ramp up as a sort of delayed spring training. Randy Wynne was up with the club earlier this year but was outrighted off the 40-man a few weeks back. Veteran Wade Miley is in the system on a minor league deal, working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, though he recently departed his second rehab outing with a groin issue and his timeline is unclear.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Reds Activate Hunter Greene, DFA Alan Busenitz
The Reds announced this morning that they’ve activated right-hander Hunter Greene from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start against the Pirates later today. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was designated for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for Greene. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.
Greene, 25, signed a six-year extension with the Reds in April of last year that keeps the right-hander under club control through the 2029 season. His first year after signing that extension was a somewhat lackluster one as he pitched to a 4.82 ERA (97 ERA+) while being limited to just 112 innings of work by injuries. The youngster has turned things around in a big way with a breakout performance this year, however, and in doing so has become a major bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for fans in Cincinnati.
In 143 1/3 innings of work to this point in the year, Greene has posted a incredible 2.83 ERA (155 ERA+) while striking out an excellent 27.8% of batters faced. Some of Greene’s good results have been thanks to good fortune on his part, as demonstrated by a deflated .243 BABIP for opposing hitters and the fact that just 6.6% of the hurler’s fly balls have left the yard for home runs this year despite his home ballpark being the most homer-happy field in the majors. With that being said, advanced metrics are also generally impressed with Greene as demonstrated by his 3.41 FIP and 3.76 SIERA. It’s a season that could even earn Greene some down-ballot attention in NL Cy Young award voting this year, as his aforementioned sterling ERA trails only Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler among NL starters with at least 140 innings of work this year.
Whatever chance Greene may have had at the award was put to bed by a trip to the IL due to elbow soreness back in August, however. A subsequent MRI revealed no structural in a huge relief for the club, but inflammation in the hard-throwing righty’s elbow has still kept him on the shelf for more than a month. His time on the shelf has ended now, though, and with just a few games left in the regular season Greene is slated this afternoon to go toe-to-toe with another up-and-coming ace in the NL Central: Pirates righty Paul Skenes, who has posted an eye-popping 2.07 ERA with a 32.2% strikeout rate in 126 frames this year.
As for Busenitz, the 34-year-old righty has pitched briefly for the Reds in each of the past two seasons. In seven innings of work for the club last year, he looked quite good with a 2.57 ERA and 2.29 FIP, but things have taken a turn for the worse this year as he’s surrendered seven runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out three across four innings of work in the majors. Things have gone better for him at Triple-A, however, where he’s posted a decent 4.07 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of work this year. Assuming Busenitz isn’t claimed off waivers, he’ll likely head to free agency either in the coming days or this November and search for a fresh minor league deal on the open market.
Reds’ Brandon Williamson Leaves Start With Elbow Strain
Reds starter Brandon Williamson left tonight’s start against the Braves in obvious discomfort. The southpaw looked to be in a lot of pain after throwing a pitch to Michael Harris II in the second inning (video provided by Pitching Ninja). Williamson came out of the game and Cincinnati later announced that he suffered an elbow strain (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds have yet to provide much beyond that initial diagnosis. They’ll presumably send Williamson for imaging within the next couple days.
The left-hander has spent most of the season on the injured list. Williamson suffered a shoulder injury in Spring Training. While it initially looked as if he might need to undergo surgery, he managed to treat the issue with a series of injections. Williamson returned to the MLB staff this month. He’d allowed four runs (three earned) across 13 innings over his first three appearances of the season.
Williamson started 23 games for Cincinnati last year. The TCU product made his MLB debut in May and tossed 117 innings of 4.46 ERA ball over the next few months. Williamson was hit hard early on but turned in a 3.97 ERA in 70 1/3 frames after the All-Star Break. He had a good chance of securing a spot at the back of David Bell’s Opening Day rotation had he been healthy.
That wasn’t the case, and he’ll now hope that tonight’s elbow injury isn’t as serious as it initially seems. The Reds will certainly shut him down for the final couple weeks of this season. If he incurred significant ligament damage, that’d obviously have the potential for surgery that could sideline him next year.
Assuming the Reds place Williamson on the injured list, he’ll join Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott. Rotation injuries have been a huge factor in Cincinnati’s disappointing season. Bell indicated before tonight’s game that the Reds are hopeful of getting Greene and Abbott back before the end of the year (relayed on X by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Lodolo, who went on the IL in late August with a finger sprain, will not return this season.
NL Central Notes: Pham, Walker, Greene, Abbott, McCutchen, Heller
Jordan Walker “will play every day” down the stretch for the Cardinals, manager Oliver Marmol told The Athletic’s Katie Woo and other reporters yesterday after St. Louis recalled the top prospect from Triple-A Memphis. After debuting with a solid rookie season in 2023, Walker has hit only .151/.229/.233 over 83 plate appearances at the MLB level this season, and the Cardinals have kept him at Triple-A for much of the season. While his production in Memphis this year was only decent, the Cards have seen enough to bring Walker back for an extended stretch of playing time that will ideally set the table for Walker to stick as a lineup regular in 2025 and beyond.
Some space in the Cardinals’ outfield was cleared for Walker when Tommy Pham was designated for assignment, a day after the team first put Pham on irrevocable waivers. Woo writes that Pham welcomed the news and had even discussed such a move with the Cards, as he’ll now have a chance at more regular playing time on another team. If he joins another club before Sunday, Pham will also be eligible for that new club’s postseason roster.
More from the NL Central…
- Reds manager David Bell updated MLB.com and other media on the status of a pair of injured starters, as Hunter Greene has started playing catch and Andrew Abbott is expected to start a throwing program next week. Greene hasn’t pitched since August 13 due to right elbow inflammation and there were concerns last week that his season could be over, but Bell indicated that Greene is aiming to return before the year is out. Abbott is also planning to pitch again in 2024, even though Bell said the left-hander is still feeling “a pinch” in his bothersome shoulder. Abbott has been sidelined since August 20 due to a shoulder strain. Since Cincinnati has fallen out of the playoff race, it stands to reason that either or both Greene or Abbott could be shut down at the first hint of a setback, but naturally both pitchers would prefer to keep playing and try to finish on a high note.
- Andrew McCutchen was activated from the Pirates‘ 10-day injured list yesterday, as the franchise icon returned after missing two weeks due to left knee inflammation. The franchise icon went 2-for-5 with a home run in Pittsburgh’s 10-8 loss to the Guardians, and McCutchen is now hitting .238/.337/.415 with 17 homers over 442 plate appearances in his 16th Major League season. In the corresponding move to activate McCutchen, Pittsburgh placed right-hander Ben Heller on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his right shoulder.
Hunter Greene Avoids UCL Damage, MRI Reveals Elbow Inflammation
When Reds ace Hunter Greene was first placed on the 15-day injured list last week, there was some optimism that the right-hander would only require a minimum stay on the shelf to combat the issue. Unfortunately, that hope has faded in the aftermath of an MRI on Greene’s elbow that revealed inflammation. As noted by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the club received three medical opinions on Greene’s arm confirmed that the ace’s UCL has not been damaged in what Bell and Greene have described as a “best case scenario.”
While that’s certainly heartening news for Reds fans, Wittenmyer notes that Greene now appears to be ticketed for an absence that will extend well past the minimum 15 days previously hoped for, as the right-hander is now not expected to resume throwing until the inflammation dissipates, which Greene suggested could take as long as two weeks. With just over a month left to go in the regular season and Cincinnati’s playoff hopes this season remote at best, that timeline could call into question whether or not the hard-throwing righty will be able to return this year. As relayed by Wittenmyer, Greene was noncommittal about his timeline for return, though he did note he hopes to pitch again this year:
“I have no clue,” Greene said when asked when he’ll be able to return. “I’d like to be able to finish with two or three more starts, but I’ve got to see how I feel in a few days or a week.”
While it does not currently appear guaranteed that Greene will be able to return to the big league mound this season, it certainly can’t be ruled out. If Greene remains shut down for two weeks, he would resume throwing in early September. It’s at least feasible to imagine that he would be able to go out for a brief rehab assignment in the middle of the month before making a couple of starts in the final weeks of the season, though such a timeline would likely require no setbacks and a somewhat limited pitch count for Greene upon his return.
Regardless of whether or note Greene is able to make it back to the big leagues this year, the fact that his UCL remains undamaged and he figures to be fully healthy for Spring Training 2025 is surely heartening news for the Reds. Even if he doesn’t throw another pitch for the club this year, Greene’s 2024 season has been an unequivocal success as he’s posted a dominant 2.83 ERA in 143 1/3 innings across 24 starts. While Greene’s 9.1% walk rate and batted ball profiles have left advanced stats somewhat less impressed with his work this year (3.41 FIP, 3.75 SIERA, 4.16 xFIP), his excellent results are backed up by premium stuff that’s allowed him to post a 27.8% strikeout rate this year.
With Greene’s breakout allowing the Reds to pencil a bonafide top-of-the-rotation arm into their rotation next season, it’s not hard to imagine much brighter days ahead in Cincinnati despite their lackluster 63-67 record this season. After all, the club figures to benefit not only from the dynamic duo of Greene and Elly De La Cruz but also returns to action from key youngsters like Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand who were hampered by injuries this year.
Reds Place Hunter Greene On 15-Day Injured List
9:10 pm: After tonight’s game, Reds manager David Bell said Greene’s MRI looked encouraging (per Goldsmith). While he added that it was too soon to offer a timeline for Greene’s return, the skipper seemed optimistic his ace could be back on the mound once his minimum 15-day stint on the IL is up.
7:51 pm: The Reds have placed All-Star starting pitcher Hunter Greene on the 15-day injured list with right elbow soreness, the team announced. The club did not make a corresponding move before tonight’s game against the Royals at Great American Ball Park.
Greene, 25, was utterly dominant in his last start, holding the Cardinals to four hits and one run over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked only one. However, he reportedly felt soreness in his elbow following the outing (per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The pain temporarily went away, but it returned while he was playing catch today. President of baseball operations Nick Krall told Goldsmith that the IL stint is precautionary as of right now, and Greene will need an MRI before the team can decide on any next steps.
The young flamethrower underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2018. While his elbow has remained healthy since then, Greene spent several weeks on the IL with a shoulder strain in 2022 and hip soreness in 2023. At long last, it seemed like 2024 would be the year he put everything together. His star potential has long been evident, but he was finally enjoying star-caliber results, with a 2.83 ERA through a career-high 143 1/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately, his excellent season has now been put on hold. It’s unclear how serious the issue might be, but it’s naturally worrisome when a hard-throwing pitcher with a history of UCL problems goes on the IL with elbow pain.
With Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson on the 60-day IL, Cincinnati’s starting depth is already quite thin. Other starters on the 40-man roster include Connor Phillips and Lyon Richardson, but Phillips was sent to the Reds’ training complex in June amid tremendous struggles at Triple-A (10.11 ERA in 14 GS), while Richardson has recently been pitching out of the bullpen at Triple-A amid a difficult season of his own (4.58 ERA in 23 G).
Thus, the Reds will likely need to add a pitcher to the 40-man roster to start in Greene’s place on Monday. They already have an open spot to do so. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com names 23-year-old right-hander Julian Aguiar and 31-year-old right-hander Connor Overton as potential options, but he notes that the team is not planning to promote 22-year-old righty Rhett Lowder, one of the organization’s top prospects, from Double-A.
Reds Activate Joey Votto, Jonathan India, Hunter Greene
The Reds announced six roster moves today, most prominently the returns of some of their biggest names. Joey Votto and Jonathan India were both activated from the 10-day injured list, while Hunter Greene was activated from the COVID-related injured list. Right-hander Lyon Richardson was optioned to Triple-A, while infielder Alejo Lopez and right-hander Carson Spiers (both on the roster as substitute players) were respectively returned to Triple-A and Double-A.
India last played on July 28, as a case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot resulted in a longer absence than expected on the IL, and there was at least some concern that the second baseman might have been sidelined for the rest of the 2023 season entirely. However, the Reds’ rough planned timeline for India in mid-August ended up basically going to plan, so he’ll now look to step back into his normal duty at second base. Votto has missed a little over two weeks due to left shoulder discomfort, and given Votto’s history of shoulder problems, it counts as very good news that the longtime first baseman is already back on the field.
Cincinnati’s waiver-wire additions of Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader have further added to what has become a bit of glut of position players for the Reds, though injuries have essentially kept the team’s list of options from becoming a true surplus. Star rookie Matt McLain will still be out for at least another week or two in recovering from an oblique injury, and Noelvi Marte just suffered a broken nose yesterday after being hit in the face by an errant throw during pregame warmups. Manager David Bell told reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Marte isn’t yet being placed on the IL since the rookie infielder will attempt to play through the discomfort, possibly wearing a protective mask.
With Marte a question mark, the Reds’ infield figures to shake out as Votto and Christian Encarnacion-Strand sharing first base and DH duty, India at second base, Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, and Spencer Steer probably taking the bulk of third base work. If Marte is able to continue playing, Steer can split time at second base, third base, and in the corner outfield, which creates a bit of a logjam in the outfield but Steer’s playing time will certainly be prioritized given his strong numbers.
Greene is set to start today’s game against the Cardinals, with the right-hander set for his first action since August 30. Greene was hit hard in his first two outings back from a 60-day IL stint (due to hip pain) before looking much sharper in that August 30th outing against the Giants, but Greene was then sidelined again by the COVID outbreak that has hit the Reds’ clubhouse in recent days.
Reds Make Several Roster Moves
The Reds made a handful of transactions this afternoon, placing outfielder Stuart Fairchild on the COVID-19 injured list while transferring left-hander Alex Young to the COVID IL. Players on the COVID IL do not count against the 40-man roster, allowing the club to add infielder Alejo Lopez to the big league roster from Triple-A as a replacement player. As a replacement, Lopez can be taken off the 40-man roster and returned to the minors without being placed on waivers.
The news serves as a continuation of Cincinnati’s injury woes, with sixteen players now on the injured list. Fairchild, 27, is in his third season as a big leaguer and has looked like a decent fourth outfielder in 242 trips to the plate with a .223/.322/.379 with a wRC+ of 87, ten stolen bases, and solid outfield defense. Young, meanwhile, posted a 3.31 ERA in 49 innings of work for the Reds this year before going on the injured list with a hamstring issue back in August. He had just begun a rehab assignment earlier this week but now will surely be delayed in his comeback attempt.
Joining the roster for the time being is Lopez, who appeared in 59 games for Cincinnati last season, slashing .262/.314/.331 while playing second base, third base, and the outfield corners. While Lopez is hardly an impact bat, a 13.5% strikeout rate in the majors last year indicates he could provide contact off the bench, and his walk rate at Triple-A this year has ballooned to a career-high 13.4%. If that improved discipline can carry over to the majors and earn him extra free passes at the big league level, it’s possible that Lopez could be an interesting contributor for a Cincinnati infield that is currently without Matt McLain, Jonathan India, and Joey Votto.
That being said, Lopez’s stay on the active roster may be a short one, as Reds manager David Bell indicated to reporters (including those at MLB.com) yesterday that both Votto and India have begun rehab assignments and Triple-A and could be nearing a return to action, with Votto in particular a potential option as soon as tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals. Also likely to return tomorrow is right-hander Hunter Greene, who is currently on the COVID IL but is listed as tomorrow’s probable starter opposite St. Louis righty Miles Mikolas.
Reds Designate Alan Busenitz For Assignment, Reinstate Tejay Antone
The Reds announced a batch of moves between games of today’s double-header. Right-hander Tejay Antone was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, righty Lyon Richardson was recalled and righty Carson Spiers has been added as a substitute player. Righties Fernando Cruz, Hunter Greene and Ben Lively were placed on the COVID-19 injured list, while outfielder TJ Hopkins was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was designated for assignment and righty Tony Santillan cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.
Antone is back on the MLB roster for the first time in over two years. The reliever was amidst a breakout 2021 showing, emerging as Cincinnati’s closer late in the season after throwing 33 2/3 innings of 2.14 ERA ball, before his UCL gave out. He underwent Tommy John surgery — the second of his career — and spent all of 2022 rehabbing.
The Reds expressed hope Antone would return by the start of the ’23 campaign. He suffered a setback over the offseason, announcing in February that he’d been diagnosed with a flexor strain. It didn’t require surgery but has cost him the first five months of the season.
Antone has been on a rehab stint since late July. He pitched twice at the club’s complex before heading to Triple-A Louisville for 12 appearances. He was solid if unexceptional for the Bats, turning in 12 innings of four-run ball while striking out 11 and walking five.
It’d be a lot to ask of Antone to immediately rediscover his 2021 form. Yet even average output would be welcome for a Cincinnati relief corps that ranks 15th with a 3.96 ERA and 25th with a 22.5% strikeout rate. The bullpen hasn’t been as catastrophic as it had been for the past two seasons, but it’s still a relative weak point on an offense-first Reds’ roster.
Spiers, 25, also steps into the relief corps, in his case for the first time. The Clemson product is in position to make his major league debut after turning in a 3.69 ERA through 83 innings as a swing option for Double-A Chattanooga. He’s striking out nearly 30% of opposing hitters against an elevated 11.3% walk rate.
Players designated as COVID substitutes are temporarily added to the roster. Spiers won’t assume a permanent spot on the 40-man roster and can be sent back to the minors without first clearing waivers. He’ll help cover for the trio of pitchers affected by an apparent virus spread in the clubhouse.
Busenitz will hit waivers in the next few days. The right-hander has been on and off the big league roster a few times since his contract was selected in mid-May. Busenitz has pitched just five times at the MLB level, allowing two runs in five innings during his first big league work since 2018. Over 43 frames with Louisville, he owns a 4.53 ERA with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk numbers.
Santillan clears waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. It’s his first career outright and he has less than three years of MLB service, so he’ll stick in the organization at Triple-A. If the Reds don’t add him back to the 40-man roster by the end of the season, he’d reach minor league free agency.
Reds Reinstate Hunter Greene From 60-Day Injured List
The Reds have officially activated Hunter Greene from the 60-day injured list, as the right-hander will take the mound to start today’s game with the Blue Jays. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move, and the Reds also added righty Lyon Richardson to the club’s taxi squad.
Greene last pitched in the majors on June 17, before recurring hip pain sidelined him for what became an absence of over two months. Both Greene and the Reds wanted the young hurler to be at full strength before returning, so in theory, Greene should be fully recovered and ready to become a big part of Cincinnati’s push for a playoff berth (whether as a wild card or as the NL Central champions).
The starting rotation has been a weak point for the Reds all season, and the front office at least checked in on some notable trade candidates at the deadline but didn’t add any significant arms besides reliever Sam Moll. Instead, the Reds are hoping to get a boost from their own injured pitchers returning to action, as besides Greene’s activation, Nick Lodolo and Ben Lively are also on minor league rehab assignments.
Greene is the biggest addition of the group, as despite his lengthy IL stint, he is still the Reds’ co-leader in pitching fWAR (1.8). The former second overall pick had a respectable rookie season in 2022 and then pitched well over 73 1/3 innings this year, posting a 3.73 ERA and an excellent 31.4% strikeout rate. However, Greene’s walk rate is below average and he has allowed a lot of hard contact, so he isn’t a surefire ace at this point in his career despite his promising beginning. The Reds’ unexpected rise into contention has put a lot of extra pressure on the team’s young core as they begin their MLB careers, and Greene has more responsibility than most in trying to help stabilize the rotation.