Terry Francona drops injury news that could shift Reds-Cubs series

Hunter Greene is back, Reds fans! Well, almost. Though he's yet to be activated from the injured list, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona sounded very confident during an appearance on MLB Network Radio that his ace will be back on the mound later this week.

"He (Greene) actually threw a bullpen (session) yesterday on the game mound," Francona said. "He came through that real well, so I think we're all set for when we get back to Cincinnati. I think we play the Cubs and he'll be ready to slot in there, which is really good news for us."

Indeed it is. With Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer ready to take the mound over the next three days against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be wonderful if Greene was ready to return from the IL in time for Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs. Francona could then send Andrew Abbott to the hill on Saturday afternoon with Lodolo on the bump for Sunday's series finale, in what will be a crucial series for the Reds.

Terry Francona suggests that Hunter Greene could return in time for Reds-Cubs series this weekend

Greene suffered a groin injury a couple weeks ago, but it was thought to be rather minor in nature. If the Reds' ace is able to take the mound later this week, those thoughts will be confirmed. Greene had been one of the most dominant pitchers in the sport prior to his injury, and the fans are hopeful that he'll pick up where he left off.

On the season, Greene is 4-2 with a sparkling 2.36 ERA. He has 61strikeouts in 45 ⅔ innings pitched this season and a 0.810 WHIP. Greene has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, but getting back in time for the upcoming series would mean he would've only missed three starts.

The Reds will need as many arms as possible against their NL Central rivals. In fact, two of the Reds' next four series will be against the North Siders, so there's a good chance Greene could face the Cubs more than once over the next couple of weeks.

Chicago has emerged as the team to beat in the NL Central this season. Cincinnati is currently sitting at .500 with both the St. Louis Cardinals and Cubs ahead of them in the standings. The Reds' current four-game win streak is the best in baseball, and they'll look to continue their winning ways tonight on the road in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.

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