Reds can't escape painful truth after Hunter Greene injury setback

Just two days after the Cincinnati Reds effectively punted at the trade deadline, right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow soreness. Luis Mey was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take Greene's spot on the active roster.

Greene will undergo further imaging this week, to determine the severity of the injury, but he'll miss at least three starts (and could be shut down for the season). With that, the slim hopes the Reds had to make a late-season run at the playoffs are all but buried.

Not only will the Reds be without Greene for the foreseeable future, but All-Star starter Chase Burns is quickly approaching an innings limit and is bound to be shut down before the 2026 season comes to a close. Nick Lodolo just began a rehab assignment on Wednesday, though his timetable for a return is still unknown.

Left-hander Brandon Williamson is currently on the 60-day IL and will begin a rehab assignment of his own on Thursday. But he'll need a few weeks to ramp up after being shut down earlier this season with a shoulder injury.

Hunter Greene's injury leaves Reds paying for their risky trade deadline gamble

Greene's injury only pours salt in the wounds of Reds Country — a fanbase that was already disillusioned after the front office did virtually nothing at the trade deadline despite having seven players who'll be free agents after the season. The Reds' playoff chances are less than 2%, and yet the club insisted on keeping hope alive.

On it's face, the strategy to essentially stand pat at the deadline was utter foolishness, but when you look at the Reds' September schedule, the front office's ineptitude looks like complete madness. The Reds face the Los Angeles Dodgers (7), Milwaukee Brewers (3), Atlanta Braves (3), and Chicago Cubs (3) next month.

The Reds would have to play near flawless baseball over the final two months of the season in order to leapfrog the six teams who are in front of them in the standings. Furthermore, with Burns likely to be shut down, Cincinnati wouldn't even have their best hurler as part of the team's playoff roster.

The idea of trading Greene at this year's deadline was floated by a number of MLB insiders, with some saying the chances were 50-50. He remained on the roster, however, and now the notion of trading him during the offseason has quickly evaporated. No team in their right mind is going to pay market value for Greene after back-to-back seasons in which he didn't even eclipse 110 innings pitched.

This is the beginning of the end for the Reds' postseason dreams, and it very well could spell the end of Greene's season.

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