It's Official: Hunter Greene Taking Big Step Towards Reds Return

Greene has missed the entire season.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in Downtown Cincinnati. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene is expected to make his next rehab start on Tuesday with the Louisville Bats.

Greene made his first rehab start on June 18 and he looked impressive, tossing four innings of scoreless baseball. He gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out six batters for the ACL Reds in the Arizona Complex League.

Greene has missed the entire season due to surgery on his throwing arm to remove loose bodies and bone spurs in his elbow in the spring.

Nobody has higher expectations of Greene than he does of himself. Earliest this month, Greene spoke to the media about his return.

"The expectation when I get back is to be healthy and dominate."

Elly De La Cruz Set to Come off Injured List on Tuesday

May 31, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) reacts as he runs to first base, after hitting a single against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

On Monday, Elly De La Cruz was one of three hitters who faced Pagán during a live batting practice session. According to Mark Sheldon, he lined a ball into right field in his first at-bat and was in the middle of another plate appearance when the session ended after Pagán reached his 25-pitch limit.

After the workout, Pagán discussed what it was like facing one of the game's brightest stars.

“I’m attacking anybody who’s in the box, to be honest. But obviously, Elly is one of the best players on the planet. And facing him is an honor. There’s a lot of people that play baseball that would like to have the opportunity I just had. I don’t take that lightly.”

Pagan's Next Steps

Pagan is set to go on a rehab assignment later this week. The hope is that he only needs one or two appearances before he's back in Cincinnati.

On Monday, the Reds called up Julian Garcia, who is a 31-year-old veteran but has never pitched in the big leagues. They also activated Pierce Johnson from the injured list. Going into Monday's game, Cincinnati was just 2 1/2 games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. They're finally getting healthy, but with the trade deadline just about a month away, the Reds are going to have to prove that they're contenders.

“It’s wait and see. Let’s see how we play,” Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall told The Cincinnati Enquirer. “Hopefully, we’re gonna get some guys back in the coming weeks and see what we look like. We’ve gotta win some games though. We’ve just gotta play a little better and win some games.”