Greene lands on IL with shoulder strain

MILWAUKEE — Already close to his innings total from all of last year in the Minors, Reds rookie starting pitcher Hunter Greene was feeling the effects of the workload with two months left to go in the 2022 season.

When Greene didn’t feel great during a bullpen session on Friday, Cincinnati took no chances and placed him on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a right shoulder strain.

“He’s going back to get looked at and have an exam,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It’s serious enough to go on the IL but hopefully no more serious than keeping him out for 15 days then having him back so he can finish out his first season here strong. It was enough of a concern to take a closer look and just put a pause on things at least for the 15 days.”

The move is retroactive to Tuesday. Greene was replaced on the roster by reliever Ryan Hendrix, who was recalled from Triple-A Louisville.

“Just a little arm fatigue,” Greene said. “I just want to be cautious with it and go about it the right way. We’ll just see where it goes.”

Greene will head to Cincinnati on Saturday to be examined by team doctors.

“It is frustrating to have to deal with it, but it is what it is,” Greene said. “Definitely looking towards the positives to getting back as soon as possible.”

Overall, it’s been a challenging rookie season for Greene. The right-hander is 4-12 with a 5.26 ERA in 20 starts but leads the team with 127 strikeouts. He’s also second in the Majors with 23 home runs allowed.

Greene has pitched 102 2/3 innings this season after he worked 106 1/3 in 2021 for Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville in ’21. Before debuting in the big leagues in April, he logged a total of 179 innings over three Minor League seasons, which included an over two-year gap from pitching because of Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and the cancellation of the ’20 Minor League season because of COVID-19.

“Definitely want to keep pushing through,” Greene said. “I don’t want to put a timeline on [the injury]. We’ll see where it goes.”

Greene was scheduled to start on Sunday vs. the Brewers. A replacement has not been announced. The team’s rotation has already seen the departures of veterans Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle in trades over the past week.

During Monday’s 3-1 Reds victory over the Marlins, the 22-year-old Greene was sharp as he pitched six scoreless innings with one hit allowed, two hit batters and eight strikeouts.

“It’s something that he’s actually felt from time to time and he just felt it a little more during his last start,” Bell said. “We thought he was going to be fine and he even threw a bullpen today and that’s when he felt it a little bit more than normal.”