The Reds’ senior candidate was told by manager David Bell that he had made the club’s rotation on Tuesday and the club announced their decision on Wednesday. The rotation was also announced, with opening day starter Tyler Mahle taking on April 7, followed by Reiver Sanmartin and Vladimir Gutierrez, who take on the Braves in this first series.
“That joy definitely came out of Hunter when I told him,” Bell said. “Then it was straight back to work – he was thinking about what he needs to do to prepare for Game 4 in Atlanta, which was great. I thought that was the perfect answer. It’s no surprise that Hunter handled it that way.”
Greene, ranked No. 22 overall in the MLB pipeline, is scheduled to face the Braves in the series finals on Sunday, April 10. After a day off on April 11, Mahle is scheduled to return and start the home game against the Guardians on April 12.
Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati’s No. 2 pick, is a pick for the April 13 game against Cleveland, but he’s not officially on the rotation.
After missing 2 1/2 years due to surgery by Tommy John and the pandemic, Greene, 22, whose fastball was clocked at 104 mph, went 10 with Double-A Chattanooga and Triple with 3.30 ERA last season -8 -A Louisville, Fanning 139 over 106 1/3 innings.
“He did really well in the Double-A last season, got up a bit tired at the end of the year,” said Nick Krall, the Reds general manager. “It’s exciting to see him making progress, using three courts and making quality outs. I’m really excited to see what he can do in the big leagues.
In two games (one start) this spring, Greene has pitched three innings without a goal, with five shots allowed, no walks and three strikeouts. He is scheduled to start Thursday against the White Sox.
During his previous start Saturday against the Giants, Greene hit 102 mph multiple times, but he also impressed with his transition.
With Greene and possibly Lodolo in the lead, the Reds are showing no qualms about taking their best prospects to the big leagues.
“When a player is ready, they are ready,” Krall said. “Young players will emerge and sometimes they will fail and sometimes they will succeed. You don’t know what you’ll get right out of the chute. That’s something where we have to be prepared for him to come up and see what happens. I want to make sure we give our team every chance to win instead of keeping a man in the minors.