Reds should shut down Hunter Greene despite positive injury update

When All-Star pitcher Hunter Greene landed on in the 15-day injured list last month, it appeared to be the proverbial final nail in the Cincinnati Reds' postseason coffin.

Greene, whose storied injury history includes undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019, was in the midst of the best season of his MLB career when he went down with right elbow soreness on Aug. 17, and Reds fans let out a collective sigh of relief when it was revealed that he had avoided a major injury.

After Greene underwent tests and and an MRI, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said on MLB Network Radio that the injury was "not as bad as we thought." He called it "the best-case scenario" and expressed optimism that Greene would only miss a minimal amount of time. Krall's initial assessment appeared to be supported less than two weeks later, when Reds manager David Bell said that Greene had resumed a throwing program.

That's certainly good news for both Greene and the Reds moving forward, but make no mistake – the Reds should absolutely not allow Greene to pitch again this season.

Despite positive injury update, Reds should shut down Hunter Greene for the season

Greene's stint on the IL may merely be precautionary at this point, but it's not the first time he has dealt with an elbow issue in his career. The aforementioned Tommy John procedure delayed his Major League debut until nearly five years after the Reds took him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.

Greene's injury demons followed him into the big leagues, where his first two seasons with the Reds were wildly inconsistent and resulted in a 4.62 ERA over 46 starts. This year, however, it looked like everything was starting to click for Greene. He posted a 2.83 ERA with 162 strikeouts over 143 1/3 innings en route to his first MLB All-Star selection. In his last seven starts leading up to his latest IL stint, he posted a stellar 0.98 ERA while allowing just 12 walks and a pair of homers over that span.

The Reds expect Greene to pitch again this season, but just because he can doesn't mean he should. This season has offered a glimpse of what Greene's legacy could be with the Reds and why they drafted him so high in the first place; why risk throwing that away when 2024 has officially gone down the tubes?

Shutting Greene down now and make sure he's strong and healthy for 2025 should be the Reds' move.

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