Hunter Greene earns second Opening Day start for Cincinnati Reds in four seasons

Hunter Greene will start Opening Day on March 27 against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds announced Friday.

Greene will make his second Opening Day start and first since 2023 when he allowed three earned runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the youngest Reds pitcher to start Opening Day since 22-year-old Frank Pastore in 1980.

Frankie Montas earned the start on Opening Day last season. Greene started the second game of the season.

In the last 10 seasons, Greene and Luis Castillo (2021 and 2019) are the only pitchers to make multiple Opening Day starts for the Reds. In addition to Montas, Greene and Castillo, the other Opening Day starters in that span have been: Tyler Mahle (2022); Sonny Gray (2020); Homer Bailey (2018); Scott Feldman (2017); and Raisel Iglesias (2016).

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Greene has made three starts in the Cactus League in Arizona this spring. In eight innings, he has allowed seven earned runs on nine hits. His ERA is 11.88. He has 11 strikeouts.

Greene, 25, is entering his fourth season in the big leagues. He was an All-Star for the first time last season and compiled the best numbers of his career. He was 9-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 26 starts.

The Reds drafted Greene with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. He made his big-league debut on April 10, 2022.

In other Reds news:

• Reds Hall of Famer Chris Sabo will be the grand marshal of the 2025 Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, the Reds announced Friday. NASCAR icon Michael Waltrip will serve as honorary grand marshal.