Hunter Greene injury detail will leave Reds fans fuming after offseason gamble fails

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs and loose bodies from his right elbow. He'll be shut down from throwing for six weeks and isn't expected back on the field until July. Greene's latest injury has prompted every single Reds fan to ask the same question: Why didn't he get this procedure done during the offseason?

During an interview with the voice of Reds radio Tommy Thrall, president of baseball operations Nick Krall was asked that very question. Reds fans won't like his response.

"He went to go see Dr. (Neal) ElAttrache in the offseason, and Dr. ElAttrache recommended that he get the PRP (platelet-rich plasma injection) instead of surgery, and that's the route he went," Krall said.

It's hard to fault Greene for his decision. Dr. ElAttrache is considered by many to be the top orthopedic surgeon in the country and is the team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Rams. But with the benefit of hindsight, Greene probably wishes he would've chosen option B and elected to have the surgery during the offseason.

In hindsight, Reds starter Hunter Greene should've had surgery during the offseason

Greene's track record is littered with injuries; some of which date all the way to his first full season as a professional. He suffered a torn UCL in 2018 and underwent Tommy John surgery. After missing all of 2019 (rehab) and 2020 (coronavirus pandemic), Greene returned to the mound in 2021. He made 21 starts between Double-A and Triple-A and earned a spot in the Reds rotation the following year.

But during his rookie season, Greene suffered a shoulder strain. The following year, he spent time on the 60-day IL with a right hip injury. Greene earned an All-Star nod in 2024 before landing on the injured list once again less than month later. Last season, he suffered a groin injury that resulted in two separate trips to the IL, and now he'll begin the year rehabbing yet another injury.

"You know, I'll be honest with you. When I heard the diagnosis from the doctors that it would be after July on the surgery, I was kind of surprised," Reds analyst Jeff Brantley said during an appearance on the Reds Hot Stove League. "I can remember I guy I played with in San Francisco (that) had the bone chips taken out of his elbow, and he was pitching in two weeks."

"Now, that's a different kind of human being," Brantley continued. "But those are the kind of things (where) you kind of wonder, three-and-a-half, four months? That's a tough pill to swallow."

Tough as it may be, that's the reality for Cincinnati with the season set to begin in just over two weeks. Andrew Abbott has been announced as the Reds Opening Day starter, and he'll be counted upon to lead the way for a Cincinnati rotation that will be without one of its best pitchers for next four months.