Reds top prospect Hunter Greene to undergo Tommy John surgery

Reds top prospect and right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene will have Tommy John surgery, the club announced.

Greene, who is ranked No. 3 in the Reds’ farm system behind infielder Nick Senzel and outfielder Taylor Trammell and according to MLBPipeline.com, will miss the entire 2019 season because of the surgery. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports that Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform Greene’s surgery.

Greene was selected No. 2 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft by Cincinnati after being a coveted two-way player in high school who could throw over 100 mph and play elite defense at shortstop. However, the 19-year-old flamethrower didn’t see a ton of professional action until last season.

Even then, Greene had his ups and downs.

His best performance arguably occurred in the 2018 MLB Futures Game, where he fired 19 pitches over 100 mph. In the minors, Greene went 3-7 with a 4.48 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 68 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched in 18 starts before being shut down last July due to a right elbow strain.

Because of his young age, the Reds will take great caution with him as he rehabilitates from surgery over the next year. After all, Greene figures to be in their long-term plans with Senzel and Trammell, who are set to hit the big leagues over the next two seasons.