This Reds roster decision suddenly looks worse after Hunter Greene's injury

After Hunter Greene exited Tuesday's game with groin injury, Nick Krall was probably on the phone with Wade Miley's representation trying to negotiate a new deal. Rather than add Miley to the 40-man roster over the weekend, the Cincinnati Reds made the bold decision to let him re-enter free agency. The veteran left-hander had an opt-out clause in his contract and is back on the open market and looking for work.

Greene re-injured the same groin that shelved him for two weeks in May and could be ticketed for another stint on the injured list. While Greene himself called the injury more frustrating than concerning, he's set for an MRI to determine the extent of his latest hiccup.

If an IL stint is warranted — and you have to believe it will be — bringing back Miley seems like the most logical move the Reds could make. The only other starter on the Reds 40-man roster at the moment is Chase Petty, and he's yet to prove that he's ready to face major league-caliber hitters.

Reds may have to re-sign Wade Miley after Hunter Greene's latest injury

Coming off elbow surgery, Miley signed a minor-league deal with the Reds this past offseason. The left-hander wasn't expected to return to the mound until at least May, and had appeared in numerous rehab appearances in the Reds' minor leagues before opting out of his contract this past weekend.

In seven rehab starts — three at High-A Dayton and four at Triple-A Louisville — Miley covered 19.1 innings and owned a rather unsightly 8.84 ERA. He struck out 15 batters and walked four while allowing 19 runs on 32 hits including four home runs. Miley's 5.79 FIP makes his line a little easier to swallow, but those are not the type of numbers that are going to garner a lot of support from the Reds fanbase.

With Rhett Lowder and Carson Spirers on the IL, the Reds' choices to replace Greene in-house are extremely limited. Spiers was transferred to the 60-day IL last month and is unable to return until late-June. Lowder is dealing with a significant oblique injury and his timetable is undetermined.

Other options beyond Miley include veteran right-hander Aaron Wilkerson and journeyman pitcher Randy Wynne. In 11 starts, Wilkerson is 4-1 with a 3.84 ERA and 22.5% strikeout rate. Wynne, who's already been up once this season, is 1-5 with a 5.68 ERA over 38 innings pitched. Reds fans would love to see Chase Burns called up from Double-A Chattanooga, but based on Krall's recent comments, that seems unlikely.

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