Hunter Greene’s season has taken another painful turn.
The Cincinnati Reds right-hander is headed for elbow surgery after meeting Thursday in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion, following discomfort he felt while throwing a bullpen session earlier this week. The news was first reported by Mark Sheldon of Reds.com, with Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer adding that the operation will be “around the ligament” and that the “extent/specifics of the surgery won’t be known until the operation begins”.
That lack of detail leaves plenty unresolved. “Around” the ligament could mean Greene avoids Tommy John surgery, which would likely knock him out for all of 2026 and 2027.
But it also doesn’t guarantee good news, and there are still multiple possibilities that could keep the right-handed starter sidelined for a significant stretch. For now, the only certainty is that more answers will have to wait until after the procedure.
Greene’s elbow has been an issue for much of the last year. This spring, it was revealed that he had felt discomfort in late last season but managed to pitch through it and stay on the mound through the playoffs.
He later sought opinions after the season and was told surgery wasn’t necessary. After treatment, he continued his offseason work and built toward spring training, only for the elbow to flare up again soon after camp opened.
At that point, doctors recommended removing bone spurs.
That surgery kept him out until early July. Once he returned on the 4th, Greene made five starts for Cincinnati before the bullpen session this week brought another setback.
In Other News...
Reds Just Sent A Strong Message About Their Next Infield Hope
The Reds wasted little time pushing their newest infield investment into the upper levels of the system, sending Becker straight to High-A after bringing him aboard. The shortstop out of Virginia arrived with the kind of collegiate rsum that made him an attractive second-round addition, and Cincinnati is clearly treating him like a player who should be challenged early rather than eased along at the lower rungs.
For a farm system always looking for the next everyday option in the middle of the diamond, the assignment says plenty about how the Reds view his timeline. The move also came as the organization elevated top-30 pitching prospect Edgar Colon to High-A Dayton, another sign that the club is sorting through some intriguing young talent while it waits to see which arms and bats can handle the next test. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Prospect Pipeline Has 2 Names Rising And 1 Still Waiting
Hctor Rodrguezs Major League debut this season was another reminder that the Reds farm system keeps feeding the big-league roster, with Rodrguez becoming the sixth player from the organization to reach Cincinnati this year. It has been a useful run of development for a club that has leaned on young talent, and the pipeline still has more names worth tracking as the season turns toward its final stretch.
Jose Acua and Carlos Jorge are both in Triple-A and remain the most obvious candidates to be next if the Reds find themselves looking deeper into the organization later in 2026. Leo Balcazar, meanwhile, is still working his way through the minors after some performance issues, and the expectation is that he will stay there through next season rather than force his way into the active roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Williamson Just Raised A Tough Reds Rotation Question
Brandon Williamsons path back to the Reds took another shaky turn this week, and it comes at a time when the rotation picture is already getting crowded. Williamson last appeared in a major league game on April 29 before landing on the injured list with left-shoulder fatigue, and his latest step in Triple-A Louisville was supposed to move him closer to Cincinnati. Instead, it left the club with even more to think about as Nick Lodolo nears a return and the staff keeps one eye on how to manage Chase Burns.
The bigger issue is no longer just whether Williamson is healthy enough to help, but how the Reds fit him in if he is. Cincinnati has enough moving parts in the rotation that Williamsons next stop could depend as much on roster math as on his arm, and that makes his comeback an uneasy one to sort out. The club also has some recent momentum at the plate, with four top hitters, including JJ Bleday, going deep in a recent game, but the pitching side now has a decision that could shape the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]