The Cincinnati Reds were already dealing with a growing list of injuries before Wednesday night’s game even started—and then things got worse once the game began. Pitcher Hunter Greene was dominant through three innings, allowing no runs and striking out six.
But as the fourth inning got underway, Greene took the mound to warm up and was quickly met by manager Terry Francona and the team trainer. After a brief discussion, Greene exited the game and headed to the dugout. Brent Suter was brought in to begin the inning in his place.
Not long afterward, the Reds announced that Greene had left the game due to a right groin injury. It marked the third significant injury for Cincinnati that day. Earlier, Noelvi Marte had been placed on the injured list with an oblique strain, and Jake Fraley was also ruled out for the game with left calf soreness, as reported by Mark Sheldon of Reds.com.
Postgame Update:
Manager Terry Francona shared after the game that Greene felt a “pop” in his groin and that the team would evaluate him again the next day to determine the severity.
If Greene ends up on the injured list, Chase Petty is the most likely candidate to replace him in the rotation. While Petty struggled in his major league debut, he recently pitched six hitless innings with eight strikeouts for Triple-A Louisville, dropping his ERA to 2.54 over his last eight starts.
He pitched Tuesday night, meaning he would be on schedule to take Greene’s next turn if needed.
Currently, the only healthy pitchers on the Reds’ 40-man roster are relievers. While the team could consider adding someone new to the roster, Petty stands out as the most logical choice from Triple-A. Another option would be Chase Burns from Double-A, but he hasn’t consistently pitched deep into games or thrown many pitches per outing this season.
Further updates on Greene’s condition are expected soon, which should clarify the team’s next steps in the coming days.
