The Reds placed Greene (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday. Greene underwent surgery in mid-March to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow. His placement on the 60-day IL means that the earliest he can make his 2026 regular-season debut is late May, though the nature of the procedure means that Greene will likely be out of action for at least the first half of the season. The Reds selected Nathaniel Lowe's contract from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move.
Greene is scheduled to have bone chips removed from his right elbow Wednesday and is expected to be out until July, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Manager Terry Francona revealed last week that Greene was headed for an MRI due to an elbow issue, which dates back to his final starts of last season. The 26-year-old avoided damage to his UCL, but the bone chips and procedure to remove them will end up sidelining him for at least half the season. Greene pitched to a 2.76 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 during the 2025 regular season but was limited to 19 starts due to groin issues, and he'll have a limited workload again in 2026.
Greene revealed Wednesday that the right elbow soreness which prompted an MRI dates back to his "final 5-6 starts" of last season, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports. Greene said of the elbow soreness last season that "it was a playoff push, so I pushed through it." The hurler noted that he got an injection and "felt fine" during the offseason, but the discomfort returned a week before the start of spring training. Greene made a Cactus League start Feb. 28 and was touched up for four runs on five hits and one walk over one inning of work. The righty is being sent for an MRI, which will be evaluated by team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek before being sent to specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion. Greene said that "I know I have bone spurs" in the elbow, but "as of now, there's no UCL damage." Those comments were made prior to the scheduled MRI, so more will be known about Greene's outlook after he's evaluated by both doctors. At minimum, he will be shut down through at least next Tuesday.