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MLB MLB Spring Training Hunter Greene was the Reds' presumptive Opening Day starter, but that's now in doubt. Jeff Dean / Getty Images Reds starter Hunter Greene is expected to return to Cincinnati to see team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek on Friday and then see Dr. Neal El Attrache next week, president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Wednesday. Greene paused his work in spring training after dealing with discomfort in his right elbow. His status is unknown until he sees both doctors. Advertisement “We’re going to get some more tests over the next couple of days, ” Krall told The Athletic by phone Wednesday. Greene told reporters, including Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard, that he’d felt discomfort in his throwing arm at the end of last season. At the time, imaging showed loose bodies in his elbow, but his UCL was “completely clean, ” he said. The California-based El Attrache performed Greene’s 2019 Tommy John surgery. “About a week before spring training started, the discomfort came back, ” Greene said, according to Goldsmith. “I’ve been managing it through camp so far. We’re going to check it and get it looked at. It makes sense to do it now. I know I have bone spurs. As of now, there’s no UCL damage. ” Greene, who has two Opening Day starts under his belt, was the presumptive Opening Day starter for the Reds this season. That’s now in doubt. However, the one thing the Reds have is pitching depth. Coming into spring, the team had a competition for the fifth starter between Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson. Those three could now compete for two spots instead. While pundits seemed to believe the Reds could trade from their starting pitching depth this offseason, Krall was hesitant to explore that option because of the need for depth in the rotation. While Krall did take calls on offers for Greene and other pitchers this offseason, the asking price was high, according to other executives, and it was obvious it wasn’t something the Reds wanted to do. “We kept our depth because you never know, ” Krall said Wednesday. “We want to make sure all these guys can stay healthy through camp and pick up where we left off last season. ” Greene, 26, has spent time on the injured list in each of his four big-league seasons, including for two months last year. He has never thrown more than 150 1/3 innings in any of his four seasons. He reached that inning load in 2024, when he was 9-5 with a 2. 75 ERA and selected to his first All-Star team. Last season, he was 7-4 with a 2. 76 ERA in 19 regular-season starts. The Reds still have left-hander Andrew Abbott, an All-Star last season, fellow lefty Nick Lodolo and right-hander Brady Singer in their rotation. Of the three competing for the open spots, Lowder missed all of last season with injuries, but the 2023 first-rounder was 2-2 with a 1. 17 ERA in six starts as a rookie in 2024. Burns, the No. 2 pick in 2024, made his big-league debut last season, going 0-3 with a 4. 57 ERA in eight starts and five relief appearances. Williamson, a lefty, missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but had success at the big-league level in 2023 and 2024. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle C. Trent Rosecrans is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Cincinnati Reds and Major League Baseball. He previously covered the Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post and has also covered Major League Baseball for CBSSports. com. Follow C. Trent on Twitter @ctrent