Prized Cincinnati Reds prospect Hunter Greene will undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, the club announced Monday.
Speaking to reporters during his team’s 4-3 loss at home to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams told reporters Greene “had a setback last week.”
“He threw to live hitters last Saturday,” Williams said. “I was there and saw the session. It went well. When he was warming up several days later for another session of live (batting practice), he felt some discomfort. We shut him down. We had the MRI (exams) done, and there was new damage that occurred to the ligament.”
Greene, 19, originally sustained an injury to his right elbow while pitching for Class-A Dayton on July 26. The diagnosis at the time was a strained ulnar collateral ligament, and the course of action was rehab over surgery. Instead, Greene will undergo the surgery next week, with Los Angeles Dodgers orthopedist Neal ElAttrache — known for his work on other torn UCLs — performing the procedure.
“Obviously, there’s some lost time there,” Williams said when asked whether he wishes the organization would have opted for surgery in July. “We had some really good doctors look at him, that was their conclusion, and he was cleared to throw back in the fall. He went through a program in the winter without setbacks. I think everybody was on board with what we did, and we wished that it worked.
“Now that it hasn’t, it was clear from the scans this time around that surgery would be required to make sure we get it repaired.”
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft and the Reds’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Greene will miss this season, with a more definitive timetable to be established later.
Monday night, Greene tweeted an update:
“Thanks for all the (love) I’m in great shape & great spirits. I’m in LA & will have surgery next week by Dr. Neil ElAttrache. I have an amazing support group & people around me that will make me even stronger. I’m still on track, time to move forward!”