Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene, after getting a second opinion, will have season-ending elbow surgery for a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Greene, 27, was placed on the injured list Wednesday after experiencing soreness during his side session on Tuesday. He saw a doctor and had an MRI on Wednesday before visiting specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
"They're going to go in there, find out what it is and go from there," Reds president of business operations Nick Krall said Friday. "The ligament was failing. It's going to be some sort of procedure around the ligament."
Krall wouldn't speculate on Greene's status for the 2027 season.
Greene, who had Tommy John surgery in 2018, made only five starts this season. He began the season on the 60-day injured list after surgery in March, which was performed by Dr. ElAttrache, to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
"He felt like he was working through aches and pains of coming back from the bone chips," manager Terry Francona told reporters Friday. "The other day I grabbed him and said, 'Hey, I'd love for you to go out and pitch, but I wouldn't love for you to go out and pitch and worry.' I said, 'You're trying to throw the ball 100 miles per hour with breakoff sliders.' I said, 'In my opinion, it would be way easier to get you looked at instead of just hoping.' And I'm really glad we did because he didn't want to. I get that. He wanted to pitch."
Greene, who hasn't made more than 26 starts in a season since his debut in 2022, went 2-2 with a 6.83 ERA in five starts after making his season debut July 4.
In April 2023, Greene signed a 6-year, $53 million contract extension with a $21 million club option in 2029.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft had separate stints on the IL last season because of a right groin injury limiting him to 19 starts. In 2024, after earning his first All-Star nod, he sat out six weeks because of right elbow soreness. In 2023, there were two stints on the IL because of hip pain.
Despite some trade interest in Greene this summer, the Reds chose to retain him, giving them a formidable one-two punch at the top of the rotation with All-Star right-hander Chase Burns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.