Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene underwent his second Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, a development that will keep the former All-Star off the mound for the next 12 to 18 months and almost certainly sideline him for the entire 2027 season.
The news, first reported by Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer, confirms what many feared after the Reds announced last week that Greene would require additional elbow surgery.
Greene, 27, had already dealt with significant arm trouble this year. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in March to remove bone chips from the same elbow and did not make his 2026 debut until early July.
In five starts thereafter, he posted a 6.83 ERA over 27⅔ innings before reporting soreness during a bullpen session in early August.
An MRI and subsequent examination by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who also performed Greene’s first Tommy John procedure in 2019 while the pitcher was still in the minor leagues, revealed that a full reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament was necessary.
Selected second overall in the 2017 draft, Greene arrived in the majors with one of the most electric fastballs in the game and briefly looked like a cornerstone of the Reds’ rotation.
His 2024 season, which included an All-Star selection and a career-high 150⅓ innings, represented the high-water mark of his career to date. Injuries, however, have repeatedly interrupted his progress. He has landed on the injured list in each of his five big-league seasons, and the cumulative toll is now unmistakable.
The timing is particularly difficult for a Reds franchise that has operated with one of baseball’s more modest payrolls. Greene is under contract through 2028 on a six-year, $53 million extension signed in 2023, with a club option for 2029.
He is scheduled to earn more than $15 million next season, money the club will pay while receiving little or no on-field contribution. Younger arms such as Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott will be asked to shoulder larger workloads in his absence.
Trade discussions involving Greene circulated ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, but the Reds ultimately kept him. After this latest surgery, any notion of moving him this offseason is effectively closed.
The focus now shifts to a long, careful rehabilitation. Second Tommy John procedures carry greater uncertainty than the first, and Greene will be 28 or 29 before he next takes a major-league mound.
For a pitcher once viewed as a future ace, the road back has grown considerably longer.
