Injured Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Hunter Greene Close to Returning to MLB

Former top prospect Hunter Greene is scheduled to make two more rehab starts before he rejoins Cincinnati's big league roster.

Right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene is nearing a return to the Cincinnati Reds' big league rotation.

Greene has been on the injured list since June 19 due to right hip pain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 31, making him eligible to return to the active roster on Aug. 18.

The 6-foot-5, 242-pound hurler started a rehab assignment with the ACL Reds in Rookie ball on Aug. 1. After one scoreless appearance, he moved up to Triple-A Louisville, where he allowed one earned run in 2.2 innings on Saturday.

Greene is scheduled to take the mound again and go four innings deep Thursday. According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Greene is slated to make one more rehab start for the Bats before getting called back up to the majors.

Before he went down with his hip injury, Greene was 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA, 1.350 WHIP and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings through 14 starts this season.

The Reds took Greene No. 2 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. By the time 2022 rolled around, he was ranked as the No. 22 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

Greene went 5-13 with a 4.44 ERA, 1.210 WHIP and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a rookie last season, and he entered 2023 having just inked a six-year, $53 million contract to remain in Cincinnati long-term.

If Greene can hit his previously reported target return date of Aug. 20, he will be able to rejoin the Reds' rotation in time for their 10-game road trip against the Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants.

Cincinnati is 1-8 since the start of August, which has bumped them out of the playoff picture for the time being. At 60-57, the Reds are tied with the Chicago Cubs, 0.5 games back of the Miami Marlins for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.