Manager David Bell said Wednesday that Greene will start the Reds' fourth game of the season April 10 in Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Though Greene and fellow young pitchers Nick Lodolo, Reiver Sanmartin and Vladimir Gutierrez were expected to battle for two available rotation spots entering spring training, the Reds will likely have room for all four since Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) are set to begin the season on the injured list. Because the Reds have an off day April 11, there was some risk of Greene heading to the minors until a fifth starter was first needed in the second week of the season, but Lodolo looks to be the pitcher that will temporarily find himself as the odd man out. The 22-year-old Greene didn't seem to be hampered by losing two consecutive seasons of development time to Tommy John surgery and the COVID-19 pandemic, as he turned in a 3.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 139:39 K:BB across 106.1 innings between Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2021. Greene's workload will likely be monitored carefully throughout his rookie season, but his triple-digit fastball and hard slider should allow him to deliver strong strikeout totals on a per-inning basis as he makes the jump to the majors.