Reds fans are furious about Hunter Greene's injury news, but one bright spot exists

When the news came out that Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene was going to Los Angeles to have his right elbow evaluated by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the worst-case possibility flashed through every fan's mind. Dr. ElAttrache is the Los Angeles Dodgers' head team physician. He's also the preeminent expert on Tommy John surgery.

Hearts in throats, the greater Cincinnati area waited and waited to see if the tantalizing but oft-injured right-hander would be lost for the season. If so, part of 2027 could be in jeopardy as well. Fortunately, fans learned that isn't the case. Greene will still be undergoing surgery, but rather than the dreaded ligament surgery, he'll be having his elbow cleaned up, with bone chips and loose bodies being removed.

He'll still be out for a while — with a target return sometime in July — but compared to the alternative, things could have gone much, much worse.

The Reds have a silver lining in light of Hunter Greene's injury

Fortunately, Cincinnati didn't trade Brady Singer over the offseason and can now lean on him for stability in light of the news. Overall, the rotation is still in good shape with Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo at the top, the consistency of Singer in the middle, and more talented young arms than rotation spots with Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns, and Brandon Williamson still duking it out for the final spots.

With an improved offense, there's no reason to believe that the Reds can't hang around in the playoff picture until July. At which point, they'll get Greene back, which will act like a major trade deadline acquisition.

Any kind of elbow surgery sounds scary, but the truth is that what Greene is experiencing is the same thing New York Yankees' starter Carlos Rodón pitched through last year. Uncomfortable? Certainly. Will it have any lasting effects? Highly unlikely.

Essentially, the Reds will be "trading" for a Cy Young-caliber pitcher when Greene returns in July, and from there, he can focus on dominating down the stretch. All he'll need to do is be himself and stay healthy.

The Reds are, unfortunately, used to being without Greene. He's missed chunks of time in every season of his career, never tossing more than 150 innings or making more than 26 starts. This is par for the course, and in a weird way, being so accustomed to playing without their ace will help them.

In the meantime, it gives fans a look at two of Burns, Lowder, and Williamson, rather than just one, and given the ceilings those young arms possess, Cincinnati could have another ace blossoming by the time Greene comes back.

This isn't ideal, but it's not a death knell. Greene's return date gives the club a boost at the most critical juncture in the season. If they take care of business in the first half, they might even find themselves pulling away from the NL Central pack once the 26-year-old is back in the fold.