Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene will make his season debut on Saturday night against the Baltimore Orioles.
Greene has been sidelined since undergoing surgery in March to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow.
Greene made three minor league rehab starts totaling 14 1/3 innings across two levels and didn’t allow a run. He struck out 13 and allowed five hits and two walks.
In his last outing, Greene gave up one hit over 6 1/3 shutout innings on Sunday for Triple-A Louisville. He struck out four and walked none while throwing 82 pitches.
Reds manager Terry Francona said Greene will not be limited against the Orioles.
“I think he’s strong enough (and) stretched out enough, healthy enough, where we’re going to get him back, not just in name only, but in production also,” Francona said.
Greene, 26, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Reds.
He has displayed flashes of greatness during four big league seasons but stands just 25-29 with a 3.65 ERA in 91 career starts. He has 617 strikeouts in 495 2/3 innings.
Last season, he went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts while being hindered by groin injuries. One year earlier, he was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts and was a National League All-Star.
The Reds are hopeful Greene will stay healthy and form a top-rate tandem with right-hander Chase Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024.
Burns, 23, has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the NL this season and is 10-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 17 starts. He has fanned 116 batters in 97 2/3 innings.
