Hunter Greene Strongly Hints His Next Stop Is the Reds Rotation

The Cincinnati Reds have been without their ace, Hunter Greene, all season long. It appears they'll finally get him back this week after Greene hinted his rehab assignment is complete after his start with the Bats on Sunday.

Greene spoke with the media after retiring the final 16 batters he faced on Sunday.

"It was a goal of mine to go scoreless my whole rehab stint," Greene told Bennett Wise of WDRB. "I was glad to be able to do that... I feel like I'm prepared in all facets."

Greene made three rehab starts. On June 18, Greene tossed four innings of scoreless baseball with the ACL Reds. He gave up two hits, walked a batter and struck out six.

On June 23, Greene faced the St. Paul Saints with Triple-A Louisville. The flamethrower once again tossed four scoreless innings and gave up two hits. He walked a batter and struck out three.

He made what appears to be his final rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A Louisville. Greene pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just a single hit, and retired the last 16 batters he faced. He did not walk a batter and struck out four.

In Greene's 10 1/3 innings pitched, he did not give up a run and had a WHIP of 0.39. It sure feels like Greene is ready to return to the mound for the Reds. Greene's turn in the rotation would likely be Friday, but the Reds will need to make a decision on what they want to do.

Rotation Options

Trade Brady Singer or Move Him to Bullpen

Jun 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Brady Singer seems to be the odd man out in the rotation. They could trade him or simply move him to the bullpen. While Singer hasn't been great this season, teams almost always overpay for starting pitching help around the trade deadline. The Mets recently got a second-round draft pick from the Cubs for soft-throwing left-hander David Peterson. If the Reds were to trade Singer, they could definitely get something for him.

Chase Burns to the Bullpen

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Monday, June 15, 2026. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Don't shoot the messenger. While this is not fun to hear, and I personally don't think they'll go this route, it is an option. Burns is likely to be on some sort of innings limit this season. If they were to move him to the bullpen, they could limit his innings and make sure he can pitch the rest of the season.

However, they'd me moving one of the best starting pitchers in the league to the bullpen and that just wouldn't sit well with fans or players.

6-Man Rotation

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) pitches in the first inning between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before Nick Lodolo got injured to start the season, the Reds planned to start the year with a six-man rotation. This could be another way to limit the innings on Burns. It wouldn't be a long-term solution, but it could certainly get you by until you make a decision on Brady Singer or another injury pops up.

If you forced me to take a stab on what the Reds will decide, this would be my guess.

We will likely hear from Terry Francona on Greene's status before Monday's series opener against the Brewers.

Add us as a preferred source on Google