Reds' Hunter Greene ‘what you hope for' in his return to rotation

New York Times

a day ago

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona had a simple message for Hunter Greene, his Opening Day starter who was making his first big-league appearance in more than two months Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies: 'Go as hard and as long as you can.'
Those extremes ended up being a 101.2 mph fastball and six innings in an 8-0 Reds victory over the Phillies at Great American Ball Park. But more than that, Greene was nearly flawless over those six innings and 85 pitches. In his return from groin and back injuries, Greene held the Phillies scoreless on just three hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
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'He really pitched,' Francona said after Greene improved to 5-3 on the season. 'That was fun to watch. That's what you hope for. It doesn't always work that way, but it gave us a big lift.'
Adding Greene to the rotation strengthens the team's pitching over the final 40 games of the season starting Friday at home against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who have also won 12 straight games coming to Cincinnati for the second time this season.
Greene won't start in the three-game series against the Brewers, but his presence could move rookie Chase Burns and his triple-digit fastball to the bullpen adding another elite arm with the team's relievers over the stretch run.
Francona has a line he'll use repeatedly that the results of one game won't change what the team feels about a player, good or bad. Greene's performance Wednesday just reinforced the faith the team has in the 26-year-old Greene, who was in Cy Young discussion when he went on the injured list in early June.
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said he saw early in the bullpen that Greene didn't look any different than he did as he started the season with a 2.72 ERA in his first 11 starts before his injury. That ERA dropped to 2.47 after dominating the Phillies.
'His pregame bullpen was pretty dialed in, but I didn't know what to expect,' Stephenson said. 'I'd seen what he did in the minor leagues, but it's hard to tell from that, I know that from when I was going through it. But he's a pro, even, of course, with the rain (delay). Really, from the get-go, he was locating his stuff in the bullpen, and it showed (in the game).'
That was a gem, HG💎@HunterGreene17 pic.twitter.com/vMNh13PfUY
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 14, 2025
After a rain delay of one hour and one minute, Greene eased through the Phillies' lineup in 15 pitches, getting Trea Turner to ground out to first before striking out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. After full counts to each of the first two batters, he struck out Harper on three pitches, the final one at 100.7 mph that Harper swung through.
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'This game is a lot more mental than it is physical, and you want to feel as polished as possible and sharp on your mindset going into the game, and I feel like I was able to do that,' Greene said. 'Getting back into that mindset and being able to flip that switch is important. I feel like I was able to do that and go.'
Greene didn't allow a hit until Bryson Stott singled with an out in the third. He'd give up another hit that inning, a single to Turner, before freezing Schwarber with another 100.7 mph fastball.
Greene went through the Phillies' order another time without a hit until Schwarber doubled with two outs in the sixth inning. The Reds had just a 1-0 lead at the time and after a wild pitch moved Schwarber to third with Harper at the plate for what was likely to be Greene's last batter.
Harper worked the count full, but Greene got the two-time MVP to swing through a slider. Although he'd been stoic for most of the night, once he got out of that jam, Greene finally let his emotions loose, pumping his fist before yelling and pounding his chest on the way back to the dugout.
'It was great — I mean, a lot of mental fortitude and a lot of inner emotions and thoughts, trying to overcome and obviously able to produce tonight,' Greene said.
The Reds still trail the New York Mets for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League and have their work cut out for them with the scorching-hot Brewers coming to town, but it's getting closer to being at full strength with Greene and hopefully a return by lefty Nick Lodolo soon after a blister on his left index finger put him on the IL.
The dominoes should fall, eventually, with veteran Nick Martinez and Burns fortifying the team's bullpen moving from the rotation to relief.
'We'll see — I have a lot of confidence in myself and what I'm able to do at this level,' Greene said. 'So we'll see. But I'm taking it one day at a time when I'm being as present as possible.'
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But Greene is a presence, and one that could mean everything as the team must navigate the game's most difficult schedule over the next six weeks to make its first playoff appearance since 2020. And if the Reds get to the playoffs, a rotation led by Greene, along with Abbott and Lodolo, could give the team what they need to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 1995 — four years before Greene was even born.
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