Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene will undergo an MRI on Friday after experiencing right elbow stiffness earlier this week, manager Terry Francona told reporters Wednesday.

Greene, 26, will be shut down from throwing until at least next Tuesday. He also intends to get a second opinion from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Greene’s 2019 Tommy John surgery.

“We need to get this,” Francona said. “You know, you’re asking the guy to go out there and throw as hard as he can. We need to make sure he’s OK.”

Greene has made just one spring-training appearance, allowing four runs on five hits with no strikeouts in an inning of work Saturday against Milwaukee.

The right-hander, who consistently tops 100 mph with his fastball, has battled injuries throughout his career, missing time in 2022 with a shoulder strain, 2023 with hip pain and 2025 with a right groin strain that caused two injured-list stints and limited him to 107 2/3 innings.

When on the mound, though, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by Cincinnati has lived up to the hype. He’s had an ERA of 2.76 or better in each of the past two seasons, earning an All-Star nod in 2024 when he had a 9-5 record and career-best 2.75 ERA in a career-high 150 1/3 innings.

Over four major league seasons, Greene has a 25-29 record and 3.65 ERA in 91 starts, striking out 617 batters while walking 179.

–Field Level Media