Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a damaged UCL in his throwing arm, the team announced Friday. The procedure marks another significant setback for the ace pitcher, whose 2026 season has been cut short.
Greene, 27, experienced elbow soreness during a bullpen session on Tuesday. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall stated that the ligament was failing and the exact nature of the procedure would be determined during surgery. The timetable for his return remains unclear.
This latest injury comes after Greene had already missed substantial time this season. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from the same elbow shortly before the season began. Krall noted that Greene had been experiencing soreness for a couple of weeks but initially pushed through it, attributing it to his recovery from the bone chip procedure.
Greene struggled in his limited appearances this year, posting a 6.83 ERA through five starts. He made his season debut on July 4.
Selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft, Greene has encountered injury issues throughout his professional career. He has spent time on the injured list in each of his five MLB seasons and previously underwent Tommy John surgery in the minor leagues in 2019. Since his major league debut in 2022, Greene has compiled a career 3.82 ERA with 650 strikeouts over 523.1 innings pitched. His most successful season was in 2024, when he finished eighth in National League Cy Young Award voting with a 2.75 ERA and earned his only All-Star selection.