DETROIT -- Reds rotation ace Hunter Greene could be down for longer than expected after his latest medical exam.
Greene, who has been on the 15-day injured list since June 4 with a right groin strain, went to Los Angeles this week for a second opinion and another MRI. He was also checked out for a sore back. The tests on the right-hander's groin confirmed the original diagnosis of a Grade 1 strain. He also has tightness in his back and hip.
“There was no change, but since he’s down with the groin, they gave him an epidural [for his back]," manager Terry Francona said before the Reds were handed an 11-5 loss by the Tigers on Friday night at Comerica Park. "Because he’s down, so there’s no reason not to."
Considering that Greene's activation can come as soon as Thursday, and he's done no baseball activity since going on the IL, he won't be back on the mound for the Reds anytime soon.
Greene, 25, was scheduled to meet with doctors in Southern California early Friday evening to determine a rehab plan going forward.
In 11 starts this season, Greene is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 14 walks and 73 strikeouts over 59 2/3 innings. While he is out, veteran lefty Wade Miley has taken his place in the rotation.
From May 8-23, Greene also missed 13 games with a right groin strain. On June 3 vs. the Brewers during his third start back, he felt groin soreness again during his final two pitches of the fifth inning and exited the start.
Signed to a six-year, $53 million contract through 2028 with a club option for 2029, durability has been an issue throughout Greene's big league career, as he has missed time each season since he debuted in 2022.
Greene's best season came in 2024, when he was a first-time All-Star while going 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA. He set career highs with 26 starts, 150 1/3 innings and 169 strikeouts. However, he missed more than a month down the stretch of last season with right elbow soreness and returned to make two starts the final week of the season.
Heading into this season, Greene identified 180 innings as one of his goals for 2025. With his latest injury, it appears highly unlikely he will meet those objectives.
During the game, the Reds didn't meet their objective to open the three-game series with a win over Detroit amid a rainy evening. Starter Nick Martinez allowed three solo home runs -- including on his first pitch of the night to Gleyber Torres -- and four runs overall in five-plus innings against a Tigers team with MLB's best record (46-25). Riley Greene went deep with two outs in the third inning and Javier Báez hit a one-out homer in the fourth.
“They were just missed execution," Martinez said. "I thought the pitch selection was there. The first one, ambushed, kind of just sat there for a little bit. Didn’t execute that one. [Torres is] patient, but threw it where obviously he wanted. The one to Riley, behind the count, I was trying to go up and away. I missed that one down and away. Then Báez, 0-2, a changeup. I didn’t execute it."
No weather was as messy as the four-run bottom of the sixth inning was for the Reds. Martinez returned to pitch but was pulled after walking the leadoff batter, Báez. Francona needed three different relievers to get three outs.
"Leading off the sixth, it was kind of a long at-bat with the walk. I just wanted our bullpen guys to face the right guys," Francona said. "Nothing that I did that inning worked out very well.”
The big blow in the sixth came against Taylor Rogers with the bases loaded, when Greene hit a three-run double to the left-field corner that got by the diving Spencer Steer.
After its five-game win streak ended on Wednesday, Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games to get back to a .500 record at 35-35.