GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The checkered injury history of Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene added another unwanted chapter when the club revealed Tuesday he would undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his right elbow.
Greene, 26, will have the procedure performed on Wednesday in Los Angeles by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. His timeline for a return to a big league mound is 14-16 weeks, which could have him back and active sometime in July if there are no setbacks.
“It’s definitely good news compared to what it could have been. You’re thinking the worst," baseball operations president Nick Krall said. "The [ulnar collateral] ligament looked intact and good. So that’s a positive.”
"It's important that this procedure take place now instead of trying to pitch through it, not be sharp on the mound and risk further injury," Greene wrote in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon. "Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am.
"I still have a lot that I want to accomplish for the team and for the city. Getting to the playoffs was one of those goals last year, and this year's goal is go much further! The team is an exciting and talented group that's going to be a lot of fun to watch."
Greene underwent an MRI last Friday after he reported stiffness in the elbow following his Spring Training debut on Feb. 28. Team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tim Kremchek made the original diagnosis, which was confirmed on Monday by ElAttrache, who performed a 2019 Tommy John surgery on Greene when he was in the Minors.
Just after exiting that start, Greene gave no public indication that he was having any health issues.
“I feel great," Greene said after giving up four runs and five hits in one inning vs. the Brewers. "I feel strong. It’s obviously early but I feel like I’m in a good place right now. I was easy with my velo and I felt like I was just up there playing catch.”
That proved not to be the case.
“You could tell in the last start," Krall said. "He didn’t throw a splitter at all in his last start. He was having trouble pulling his slider. It wasn’t his fastball. It was his offspeed pitches.”
Behind the scenes, Greene's elbow was an issue that's been happening for some time going back to late last season. It didn't seem to show on the mound, including on Sept. 18, when he pitched a one-hit complete-game shutout vs. the Cubs.
“He never told me any of that," manager Terry Francona said. "I know he mentioned it to [pitching coach Derek Johnson]. But he was always telling me he was good and I kind of liked the way he was pitching. We’re never going to send someone out there where we don’t think he should pitch or play, ever. It’s hard sometimes. Because if you sat everybody that said they [had an issue], you’d never have a team. And you can’t see inside people’s bodies, so it can be a little bit difficult.”
In Greene's postseason debut on Sept. 30 in the National League Wild Card Series vs. the Dodgers, he was rocked for five earned runs – including three home runs – over three innings in a loss.
After the season, Greene saw ElAttrache for an examination. The bone chips were discovered, but instead of getting surgery, Greene opted for a platelet-rich plasma injection.
“He went to see Dr. ElAttrache on Oct. 28. They recommended PRP at that time and an injection, and that’s what he had," Krall said.
Had Greene underwent the surgery in late October, he might have been back pitching by this month.
Optimism that the injection worked faded last month as camp was about to open.
“He felt really good. I think it was the week before Spring Training, he said he was throwing his breaking ball and felt it. So that’s when we kind of started just to monitor," Francona said.
Greene, who made his Major League debut in 2022, was signed to a six-year, $53 million contract on April 18, 2023. But in five seasons, he has yet to put together a complete and healthy year.
In the 2025 season, there were two injury list stints for a right groin strain, with the second instance putting him out for 2 1/2 months. He was 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts and 132 strikeouts over 107 2/3 innings last season.
In 2024, a bruised right elbow cost Greene five weeks on the IL in the second half of the season. Right hip pain sidelined him for two months in 2023. A right shoulder strain kept him out for six weeks in 2022.
“Obviously, I think he’s probably frustrated as well that he hasn’t pitched a full season," Krall said. "We’re just trying to figure out how to get him back as soon as possible and help this team win.”
Krall repeatedly shot down offseason rumors the Reds might try to trade Greene, because the club wanted as much starting pitcher depth as possible. It's unclear whether the elbow issue also factored in the situation.
If Greene, a 2024 All-Star, can get back to form after returning, the Reds would get a rotation boost for the second half of the season. The club, after winning 83 games last season and reaching the playoffs, has ambitions to go further in 2026.
“It’d be like a Trade Deadline acquisition," Krall said.