Hunter Greene exiting game with injury has Reds fans holding their breath

The Cincinnati Reds have a few players that are pretty indispensable, but the list of guys they could afford to lose less than Hunter Greene is very small.

After battling control issues and injuries early in his career, the Reds' flamethrower has morphed into one of the best young pitchers in baseball and an anchor for Cincinnati's rotation. Unfortunately, Reds fans were hit with the reality on Wednesday that Greene may be out for a while.

Greene was absolutely mowing down the Braves in Atlanta through three innings. He had only given up a pair of singles while striking out six batters. However, when he went to warm up for the fourth inning, something was awry and he ended up leaving the game early.

Hunter Greene exits start against Braves early with an apparent injury

It is honestly a bit unclear as to what was bothering Greene enough to force him out of the game. There was some speculation online that it was his groin, but there is little point in speculating too much here. He did walk off under his own power and there was at least some discussion as to whether or not to pull him at all, so the issue probably isn't overly serious or long-term.

However, no injury to the Reds' star pitcher is good news. Now, Cincinnati has to hope that Brent Suter and Co. can hold off the Braves and get on the board in this series. Once this game is over, attention will quickly turn to how hurt Greene is and if an injured list stint is in the cards.

Hopefully, we get more answers after the game from Terry Francona as to why exactly he was pulled and if he sees Greene going on the shelf. If Greene does need to get shut down, the Reds' pitching depth will be tested in a hurry.

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