There has seemingly been a lot of drama surrounding Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene this offseason, from his name repeatedly surfacing in trade rumors to people questioning whether he returned from injury quickly enough.
On Wednesday night, Reds President of Baseball Operations joined the Reds Hot Stove and had Greene’s back.
“Hunter is a guy that when he is healthy, he is a top of the rotation starter…When a guy gets injured though, it is really hard to say oh well that guy isn’t hurt,” Krall said. “This guy is not hurt and this guy isn’t hurt. That’s not right. I had shoulder surgery six weeks ago. I can tell you there are days when I am really hurting. I can tell you the same guy who had shoulder surgery might not feel the same pain…That’s a tough thing to say.”
Around the All-Star break, Reds beat writer Mark Sheldon had a paragraph about Greene that seemed to suggest Greene was healthy enough to come back, but he was choosing not to.
“Despite a clean MRI exam on July 7, Greene reported symptoms and canceled a rehab assignment,” Sheldon wrote. “It’s being left up to Greene to determine when he can resume pitching. But for a guy with a long-term contract who says he wants to be a leader, Greene needs to start showing it and get back on the field. When he is, he can be one of the best starters in baseball.”
On Monday, Sheldon was asked in an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit why he felt comfortable asserting his opinion about the level of discomfort Greene felt during his injury recovery.
The veteran reporter responded, saying he stands by his story and that it was written from a perspective that was informed by discussions he had with people inside the organization.
Krall went onto suggest that it’s unlikely they’ll trade Greene this offseason.
“Guys pitch through a lot of different things. Hunter grinded through the end of the year. It’s really tough to get rid of a top of the rotation starter. I am not ever going to say never, but it’s a really though thing to actually do.”
This is the first time this offseason that the front office has come out and fully supported its ace. Hopefully, they can now both move forward and focus on having a strong 2026 season.
You can listen to the latest episode of the Reds Hot Stove here.
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