Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene received some brutal injury news Thursday.
Greene will need to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The timing of the procedure means Greene will miss the entire 2027 season.
Hunter Greene update: Reds All-Star required a second Tommy John surgery yesterday. 12-18 months.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) August 13, 2026
To miss all of next year.
Greene just turned 27 last week and this will already be his second Tommy John procedure. The worries arose before the season, when he experienced stiffness in his elbow that kept him out until July. He made five starts after returning, but was largely ineffective and allowed 21 earned runs in 27.2 innings.
The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Greene had really come into his own over the last two seasons. He made 45 starts across the 2024 and 2025 seasons with a 2.76 ERA and 301 strikeouts in 258 innings of work. The Reds are paying him handsomely and clearly hoped to build their rotation around him for the next few years.
Greene’s injury is a key blow to the Reds’ hopes of building a contender in 2027. The team is 57-62 this season, but would have expected that record to be better if they had Greene healthy and available for the entire season. Now they will be bracing themselves for another year without him.
