The Cincinnati Reds are in the thick of things in the National League playoff picture. With the New York Mets in total free fall, the Reds find themselves just 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot.
They have not made the playoffs since 2020, but manager Terry Francona was hired to turn things around for the Reds organization. Aside from Elly De La Cruz, they don’t have any needle-movers on offense. Still, Cincinnati is backed by a solid starting rotation that has the potential to anchor the team down the final 40-game stretch of the regular season.
On Sunday, the Reds received great news regarding their playoff push.
Reds to Activate Hunter Greene for Phillies’ Series
Terry Francona announced on Sunday that Hunter Greene will be activated off the Injured List this week and start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Every series is magnified at this point in the season for the Cincinnati Reds as they’re trying to claw their way into the playoff bracket.
Hunter Greene has been on the IL for two months with a right groin injury that kept him out for a few weeks in May. Adding Greene to a loaded starting rotation may carry the team to October. And Greene might be their best arm in terms of pure pitching power. In 59.2 innings this season, he has a 2.72 ERA and 73 strikeouts. His breakout campaign happened last season when he was named an All-Star for the first time. His ERA was 2.75 in 150.1 innings in 2024, with 169 strikeouts.
Hunter Greene’s Groin Recovery Journey
The groin injury kept Hunter Greene out a little longer than expected, but the Cincinnati Reds have still been able to pick up wins without him, and are now well in striking range of the Mets.
Mark Polishuk of MLBTraderumors.com detailed a little bit about his setbacks:
“It seemed like Greene was nearing a return in early July before he experienced some more groin soreness, which set things back and delayed the start of his minor league rehab assignment until after the All-Star break. Greene has pitched four times during his ramp-up work in the minors, and the third of his three Triple-A appearances came on Friday, when he threw 79 pitches over 5 1/3 innings with Triple-A Louisville. Francona said that Greene is “probably not there yet” in terms of being able to toss 100 pitches in a game, but the fact that he maintained his velocity on Friday was the final sign the Reds needed to explore activating him from the IL.”
Regardless, though, getting Greene back is a huge arm to return to a rotation that’s been highly capable, and his arm will be fresh.
Terry Francona has his hands full with how he will manage the rotation. The Reds’ pitching staff has four to five legitimate options. Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, and Andrew Abbott, areall behind their presumed ace in Hunter Greene.
If the Reds want to make the playoffs, they must keep their foot on the gas pedal in the final month and a half of the season.
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