WASHINGTON — After he underwent a second opinion for his sore right elbow, Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene will have to undergo surgery to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament. The type and extent of the procedure Greene will need is not yet known. It will take place next week, but a specific date is not set.
“The ligament was failing," Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters on Friday at Nationals Park. "It’s going to be some sort of procedure around the ligament. It is not going to be known until they go in, have the surgery and then find out what’s inside.”
Either way, Greene will not pitch again in 2026 and depending on how damaged the ligament is, the 2027 season could also be affected.
Greene, 27, reported elbow soreness during his side bullpen session on Tuesday.
“He said he was sore off and on for a couple of weeks," Krall said. "At the same time, it wasn’t something he brought to anyone’s attention because he thought it was just, ‘Hey, you’re coming off the bone chip surgery. You’re just going to push through it.’”
Greene saw team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tim Kremchek on Wednesday and underwent an MRI. On Thursday, Greene saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles for a second opinion.
“Both said when you go in there, you’re going to find out what it is and then go from there," Krall said.
It was ElAttrache who performed arthroscopic surgery on Greene on March 11 to remove bone chips from the elbow. At the time, Krall noted, the UCL looked OK.
“But you never know how the bone chips affect the ligament," he said. "It could have happened on the ramp up. It also could have started way back then.”
After making his season debut for the Reds on July 4, Greene was 2-2 with a 6.83 ERA in five starts.
Greene was signed to a six-year, $53 million contract extension on April 18, 2023. He is due to make $15 million in 2027 and $16 million in 2028, with a $21 million club option for 2029 that has a $2 million buyout.
The second overall selection in the 2017 Draft, Greene debuted in the Majors in 2022 but injuries have plagued his career. He has spent time on the IL in each of his five big league seasons and also had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2019 while in the Minors.
Those injuries have stunted Greene's numbers. His career highs of 150 1/3 innings, 26 starts and 169 strikeouts came in 2024, his lone All-Star season. In '25, which included two stints on the IL with a Grade 1 right groin strain, he was 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts and 132 strikeouts over 107 2/3 innings.