Greene nearing return to help Reds in postseason chase

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- The Reds' rotation could use Hunter Greene and the starting pitcher wouldn't mind being back on the mound again. It's almost time for Greene's return, but not quite.

Greene, who has been on the injured list with right hip pain since June 19, visited the club at Great American Ball Park on Sunday. He's currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville, only 90 minutes away, and last pitched on Saturday.

“It’s extremely tough. I’m a huge team guy," Greene said. "I love being part of the team. That’s one of the reasons why I got back on the road right after the game yesterday and wanted to be here. Besides being with these guys but also being in the environment again, trying to ease my way back into it."

Greene began his rehab assignment with the Arizona Complex League club on Aug. 1 and threw two innings. For Louisville on Saturday, he threw 46 pitches over 2 2/3 innings with one earned run, one hit and one walk allowed with one strikeout.

There are two more rehab starts expected before Greene is activated. The next one is scheduled for Thursday at St. Paul, and he's expected to work four innings.

Since being out, Greene has spent most of his time at the Reds' complex in Goodyear, Ariz., doing a core strengthening program to shore up his hip and back. Both were bothering him as he pitched, despite having some of his strongest outings before going on the IL. He posted a 2.31 ERA over his last four starts -- including six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts on May 26 vs. the Cubs.

"That comes with being a professional and being part of this game and knowing that Cincinnati and the front office has tabbed me as one of those players. I had to push through it, I wanted to, I wanted to keep going," Greene said. "But knowing I had another four months to go, it’d be foolish to keep pitching. I felt like it was selfish for me to keep going out there knowing I wasn’t at my best and wouldn’t be able to put the team in the best position to win."

The Reds signed Greene to a six-year, $53 million contract in April to be a long-term rotation leader. In the short term, he could help pitch Cincinnati into the postseason over the final six weeks of the regular season.

"I’ve been working on some stuff and trying to be more consistent and picking parts of my game I can get better at and be that much better of a pitcher when I come back for the rest of this year," Greene said.