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The Cincinnati Reds‘ slim playoff chances likely suffered a significant blow with pitcher Hunter Greene going on the 15-day injured list with elbow soreness. The team announced the move via social media on Saturday.
Greene, 25, was having a breakout performance in his third MLB season. The right-hander was named to his first All-Star team this season, one of the Reds’ two All-Star representatives along with shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Since the All-Star break, Greene was 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA and pitching his way into National League Cy Young Award consideration.
In 24 starts, he’s compiled a 9-4 record and 2.83 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings. His ERA ranks third among NL starters, while his strikeout total is fifth-best. However, he has had issues with his control, issuing 53 walks and leading MLB with 19 hit batsmen.
The seriousness of Greene’s elbow issue won’t be known until he undergoes imaging tests, according to Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall. Greene had Tommy John surgery in 2019.
“We put him on the IL for precautionary reasons,” Krall said, via MLB.com. “We are going to get him an MRI in the next couple of days, and we’re just going to try and figure that out.”
Greene felt pain in his elbow while playing catch on Monday, according to The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans. He started on Tuesday, throwing seven innings and allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts. Greene reportedly felt some discomfort after the start, but said it wasn’t an issue again until Saturday.
At 60–63, Cincinnati is fourth in the NL Central, 11 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds are 4 1/2 games from the last wild-card spot in the NL. Yet with four teams ahead of them in the wild-card standings — including the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs from their own division — the Reds faced a difficult uphill climb to a playoff bid.