Why Hunter Greene’s Rough Spring Training Start is Nothing to Worry About

Hunter Greene made his 2026 Spring Training debut on Saturday afternoon and it didn't quite go as he expected.

In the bottom of the first, Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick tripled to deep center field to start the damange for Milwaukee. Greene's very next pitch was a wild pitch that scored Frelick.

Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn all followed with Singles and the Reds made a pitching change before Greene could record an out.

However, due to Spring Training rules, Greene came back in for the second inning. After walking the first batter he faced, he got a force out and a groundball double play to end the inning.

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Greene's gave up four runs of give hits in an inning plus of work. He walked a batter and did not strike anyone out. He also gave up five hard-hit balls. Greene threw 37 pitches, 19 of which were 4-seam fastballs, 14 sliders, and four splitters. According to Baseball Savant, Greene did not throw his two-seam fastball that he's been working on all offseason.

"Results weren't great," Greene told Charlie Goldsmith. "Going in, the plan especially adjusting to the ABS was I wanted to fill the zone up. I was probably too middle today. It's a good hitting team. Trying to find more of those corners. I can taper and work from there. Fill the zone up and then as I adjust, I'll start getting those corners, ball to strike and strike to balls. I stuck to my plan and definitely wanted to fill the zone up. Probably a little too much."

Why You Shouldn't Worry About Greene's Spring Training Results

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The Dodgers won game 1 of the series, 10-5. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For whatever reason, Greene has always struggled in Spring Training. A lot of veteran pitchers use the games in the spring to work on specific things, get their legs under them against, among other things.

In 2022, Greene posted a 7.00 ERA during spring training. In 2024, it was 7.20. In 2025, 5.57. And yet, it never seems to impact how he starts the regular season. He was outstanding out of the gate last year, proving once again that spring numbers don’t tell the full story.

Greene had an ERA of 0.98 through his first four starts in 2025. When he's healthy, we know what Greene is. He's one of the best pitchers in the league.

There is absolutely no reason to panic after seeing Greene's results on Saturday. The Reds have yet to announce an Opening Day starter, but I'd be shocked if it wasn't Greene holding the ball against the Boston Red Sox on March 26.

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