Unconventional roster move the Reds should execute before Hunter Greene's next start

Hunter Greene's return to the Cincinnati Reds roster did not go as planned. The flamethrower had, arguably, his worst start in the big leagues on Sunday.

Greene was absolutely shelled by the Toronto Blue Jays, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits, including five home runs. Greene struck out four, walked three, and was pulled after just three innings of work.

Greene's velocity wasn't the issue, but the right-hander was missing his spots. Is it possible that Greene was missing something, or someone, else?

Will the Reds activate Curt Casali from the IL before Hunter Greene's next start?

While some fans will laugh at this idea, hear me out. Perhaps the Cincinnati Reds should reinstate Curt Casali from the injured list before Hunter Greene's next start. Every time Casali has been on the receiving end of Greene's starts this season, the former first-round draft pick has performed quite well.

Before Greene landed on the IL with a hip issue, Casali caught his final four starts. In those four outings, Greene went 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA, allowing just 13 hits in 23.1 innings of work while striking out 31 batters. Opponents hit just .161/.266/.284 during that four-game stretch.

Luke Maile has caught Hunter Greene six times this season. In those contests, opponents have hit .276/.345/.567 and the 24-year-old owns a 5.79 ERA. During the five games in which Tyler Stephenson has been hanging the signs for Greene, his ERA is 5.75 while allowing hitters to post a .980 OPS-against.

Now, all of this may be this is a coincidence, but the numbers are what they are. With Curt Casali having been sent on a rehab assignment, his 20-day limit to remain in the minors will expire at the end of the month. If there's any inkling that activating Casali a few days early might help, the Reds should unequivocally do it.

Rosters expand from 26 to 28 players in September anyway, and the Cincinnati Reds are not going to designate Casali for assignment at this point in the season. While a lot of Reds fans don't like the idea of carrying three catchers, if it helps the pitching staff, it seems like a no-brainer.