Nick Krall quickly slammed the door on reunion talk after Hunter Greene injury

The Cincinnati Reds were hit with a devastating blow this week, learning that starting pitcher Hunter Greene will be sidelined for at least a week while tending to stiffness in his throwing elbow. There's not a combination of words scarier than that in early March.

It sounds like the injury won't knock Greene out for an extended period of time, and Nick Krall said after Wednesday's press conference that the front office doesn't plan to add a free-agent replacement. The options are rather limited at this point anyway, especially after the team used most of their offseason budget to reunite with Eugenio Suárez.

But it's times like these when fans are reminded about how "too much" pitching depth can quickly become not enough. Old friend Zack Littell is still (surprisingly) lingering in free agency, but based on Krall's statements, fans shouldn't expect a reunion.

Hunter Greene's injury won't spark Reds reunion with Zack Littell

Littell, of course, is no replacement for Greene. Whereas the Reds' ace is a hard-throwing strikeout merchant, the 30-year-old is a crafty veteran who gets by on strong command and confusing hitters with a deep arsenal. Littell lost a bit of steam after arriving in Cincinnati at the trade deadline, but still managed to post a sturdy 4.39 ERA in 10 starts as the team's de facto No. 5 starter.

The fact that that Littell remains on the free-agent market this close to Opening Day is a sign of his limited upside, though it's not for lack of interest. He's been frequently connected in rumors to various teams all offseason and may simply be waiting for the best opportunity to arise.

The good news for the Reds is that even sans Greene, they have ample pitching depth on the roster. One of Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, or maybe even Brady Singer will make a fine Opening Day starter if Greene isn't ready to roll by then. Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder were already making strong cases for the final spot in the rotation, and now it's likely that both players will be on the roster.

This is a very deep crop of starting pitchers, a reminder which should allow Reds fans to breathe a little easier right now, even without bringing in a veteran to offset the impending loss of Greene.