The injury bug continues to bite Reds ace Hunter Greene.
Greene is set to undergo surgery to repair a damaged UCL in his throwing arm, ending his 2026 season, Cincinnati announced Friday.
“The ligament was failing,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters on Friday, according to MLB.com. “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.”
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene reacts in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on July 19, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The exact procedure Greene, 27, will undergo and a timetable for his return are still unclear.
Greene, who had already missed a significant amount of time this season, reported elbow soreness during a bullpen session on Tuesday.
Shortly before the season, Greene underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.
“He said he was sore off and on for a couple of weeks,” Krall added. “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.’”
Cincinnati Reds’ Hunter Greene pitches during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 31, 2026, in Cincinnati. AP Photo/Tanner Pearson
Greene struggled to find success during his limited time on the mound this year, pitching to a 6.83 ERA through five starts after making his season debut on July 4.
Selected with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, Greene has spent time on the injured list in each of his five MLB seasons, along with having Tommy John surgery in the minors in 2019.
Since being called up to the big leagues in 2022, Greene has held a career 3.82 ERA with 650 strikeouts across 523⅓ innings pitched.
His most successful year came in 2024, when he finished eighth in National League Cy Young Award voting with a 2.75 ERA through 26 starts, earning him his first and only All-Star Game appearance.
