Hunter Greene injury could be hidden blessing for Reds

If only Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene could stay healthy. Fans thought he'd be motivated by the incessant offseason trade rumors to reach even greater heights in 2026, if only he could stay healthy. That seems to be in serious peril now.

Greene's feeling stiffness in his right elbow, and undergoing an MRI and going for a consult with Tommy John specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache isn't a good sign. For most teams, losing an ace of Greene's caliber for an extended period of time would be a death knell. And while the Reds aren't jumping for joy at this development, they're well-positioned to get through this trying time relatively unscathed.

Reds' rotation depth provide silver lining amid Hunter Greene's injury

First, fans should thank their lucky stars that the Reds didn't trade Brady Singer over the offseason. Singer's status as an impending free agent would have made the return relative to his talent pretty light, and now we're seeing the value of keeping the durable innings eater around to stabilize the situation.

Singer, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Lodolo are still a very solid top three in the rotation, and the Reds' fifth starter battle has featured numerous candidates and may have been the best position battle across the entire league this spring.

Now it's possible that two of the talented youngsters, instead of one, make the Opening Day roster, with Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder looking like favorites. Still, the Reds can rely on their depth to allow multiple youngsters to get work in without pushing them beyond their limits.

Hurlers like Lowder, Julian Aguiar, and Brandon Williamson are all coming off serious injuries that will put them under strict innings limits heading into the upcoming season. Burns could also have some restrictions as he builds up his arm after an introductory pro season that saw him rise all the way from Dayton to Cincinnati while throwing a total of 109⅓ innings in the process.

If fans indeed find out the worst with Greene, it will be interesting to see how Cincinnati wants to handle the situation. Do they pick the best two youngsters and run things that way? Do they decide to, at least for a time, leverage a six-man rotation to keep everyone's workload manageable? Do they swap out these young arms at various points throughout the season?

Depending on the choice they make, they might be able to prevent these youngsters who are building up their innings counts from awkward shutdowns in the latter part of the season.

No matter what the Reds decide, they're insulated enough to make the best of a bad situation. In the event that everything comes back as feared with regard to Greene's elbow, they can at least take those lemons and make some lemonade.