Cincinnati Reds push Hunter Greene back at least one day

Hunter Greene’s last outing was exactly what the Cincinnati Reds had to fear. His velocity was down by approximately five MPH on his fastball and he struggled to command any of his pitches. That was the type of showing that typically screams out that there is an arm injury, and a serious one at that.

The Reds, for their part, are claiming that there is nothing to see there. They say that Greene is just dealing with “fatigue” and that there is nothing wrong with his arm. Nonetheless, they are being cautious, pushing Greene back at least one day in the rotation.

Hunter Greene being moved back at least one day

Regardless of whether or not one believes the Reds, it makes sense to be cautious with Greene. He is expected to be their next ace, a pitcher that they can build the rotation around for years to come. With his impressive velocity and a slider that has the potential to be a plus offering, he could be a dominant arm for years to come.

But there has already been some injury concern with Greene. He had undergone Tommy John surgery once before, missing the entire 2019 season before the pandemic eliminated the 2020 minor league campaign. While he had pitched 106.1 innings last season, that was not just the most innings he had pitched as a professional, but it was a relatively impressive workload considering that he had missed two years.

That makes this “fatigue” designation all the more concerning. Greene is still working his way back in some aspects, especially as it comes to building up his inning count. Moving him back a day is a good start, but the Reds may want to be even more cautious that than. Skipping his turn at least once would make sense.

The Cincinnati Reds are moving Hunter Greene’s next start back at least one day. They may be better off just skipping his next start instead.