Add The New York Post on Google Hunter Greene just turned 27 and he’ll now be joining those attempting to thrive after two Tommy John surgeries.
The Reds’ young flamethrower will miss the remainder of the 2026 season and potentially all of the 2027 season after undergoing the surgery, according to multiple reports.
Greene previously underwent the operation in 2019.
Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds walks back to the dugout during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on July 10, 2026, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty Images That Greene’s season is over is not a surprise as the team knew he needed an operation, but the discovery that he needed another Tommy John surgery is a blow for both the player and franchise.
“The ligament was failing,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said last week, according to MLB.com. “It’s going to be some sort of procedure around the ligament. It is not going to be known until they go in, have the surgery and then find out what’s inside.”
Greene, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, continues to be plagued by injuries that have limited him to just 96 career starts spanning five seasons.
The righty made just 19 starts last year due to injuries and only five this year after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow and starting the season on the injured list.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene throws during the fourth inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 4, 2026. Getty Images Green battled soreness and at first believed it stemmed from the surgery, but then realized something was amiss while he posted a 6.83 ERA on the season.
He now may not return to the mound until 2028, and there are mixed results in terms of how pitchers fare after undergoing the operation twice.
Jacob deGrom is a success story, while Walker Buehler has not been the same.
For the Reds, this is a blow to a team that does not spend on premium players. The richest free agent contracts in franchise history are a pair of four-year, $64 million deals to Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos. Cincinnati also tried to court hometown darling Kyle Schwarber this offseason before he returned to the Phillies.
Cincinnati thought it had a pair of rotation cornerstones in Greene and Chase Burns, but now it will fall on the latter’s shoulders for quite some time.
The Reds already signed Burns to a $105 million extension and Greene is in the fourth year of a six-year $53 million contract. This surgery could lead to Greene exiting town with plenty of “What ifs?” considering his former status as a top pick.
