Reds Ace Hunter Greene Hits Major Milestone in Recovery

This is a major step toward getting Greene back and in the rotation in July. Adding a healthy Greene to the rotation after a solid outing from Nick Lodolo, with Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott pitching well, is similar to making a trade without having to move any significant pieces. Reds' manager Terry Francona talked about Greene earlier this month about the scheduled appearance.

"It's to the point where I think it's been really good now," Francona told reporters earlier this month. "He's had so much one-on-one. Same thing with Williamson out there; they get so much good care (and) we've got trainers that have 26 guys. You want to make sure these guys get what they need. But when they start throwing, especially bullpens, I think it's a good time for them to join us."

Greene looks to potentially join the team when they return home on May 29 to continue his rehab. Video of Greene's bullpen can be seen below.

Burns and Abbott Have Stepped Up in Greene's Absence

While Greene and Lodolo have been out, Andrew Abbott was looked upon to take the reins as the ace of the staff. Coming off an All-Star season, he struggled early on. He had a 7.22 ERA in April. Thankfully, Chase Burns really stepped up and has become a frontline starter this season. Burns is 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA and has a batting average against of just .183. 

“It’s fun to watch a good young pitcher get better,” Terry Francona told Charlie Goldsmith. “We’re kind of witnessing it in front of our eyes.”

Abbott has stepped it up in the month of May. In four starts, he has allowed just two earned runs, and his ERA is 0.82. His ERA on the season has dropped from 5.71 on April 30 to 3.97 as of May 20. Abbott credits looking at stick figure graphics of himself.

“There’s a photo of (me) last year and the year before on a graph, and this year is in a different color,” Abbott told Charlie Goldsmith on Charlie's Chalkboard. “You see where you are in comparison to that. Where the hands are at this moment, where your feet are, where the knee is, where your head is at, where your shoulders are at, it breaks it all down if you want it.”

The change of mechanics and being aware of the change has made a world of difference with his performance this month.

“When my tempo, my feet and my hands are aligned, then normally my mechanics are sound,” Abbott said. “And when my mechanics are sound, my stuff behaves normally. The fastball is jumpy. I’m up in velo. My extension is better.”

With Greene potentially joining a rotation with Burns, Abbott, and Lodolo looking better with each outing, this rotation is slowly getting back to what the team was expecting prior to Spring Training.