Greinke will start Game 4 of the ALCS against the Red Sox on Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Greinke will be asked to give his team some length Tuesday, which may be a tall task considering his last start took place one month ago. He did manage to toss a scoreless frame in Game 3 of the ALDS. Greinke finished the regular season with a 4.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP and a 120:36 K:BB across 171 frames.

Greinke worked around a pair of hits and struck out a batter in a scoreless inning of relief Sunday in the Astros' 12-6 loss to the White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS.

EDGE Analysis

After battling a neck injury late in the regular season, Greinke was activated ahead of Game 162 and tossed 2.1 innings out of the bullpen to clear the way for him to join the Astros' ALDS roster. Due to a string of poor starts prior to landing on the injured list in addition to youngsters Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia earning spots in the rotation, Greinke looks like he'll continue to work in a relief role throughout the postseason. The 38-year-old right-hander is set to become a free agent this winter and presumably still views himself as a starter, so he could look to move on from Houston heading into 2022.

The Astros reinstated Greinke (neck) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran returns from his bout with neck soreness and will be available out of Houston's bullpen. It's possible Greinke occupies the fourth starter spot (if/when necessary) in the postseason, but he appears to be a reliever for now. Having allowed at least five runs in each of his last three big-league appearances, Greinke figures to pitch Sunday to regain some confidence heading into the ALDS.

Greinke (neck) could pitch in Sunday's season finale against the Athletics, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Dusty Baker indicated in late September that there's a "distinct possibility" that Greinke serves as a reliever during the postseason, but he has a chance to rejoin the club for a tune-up in Sunday's regular-season finale. Jose Urquidy will start Sunday's matchup against Oakland, so the 37-year-old will pitch out of the bullpen if he's ultimately activated.

Greinke (neck) allowed one hit and struck out two across two scoreless innings Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Greinke threw 34 pitches and seemingly was fairly sharp in the rehab outing. He may not need much more time to ramp up, as manager Dusty Baker said that Greinke could work out of the bullpen in the playoffs. Greinke last threw in the majors on Sep. 19, and he had allowed 18 earned runs across 13 innings in his final three starts before hitting the injured list.

Greinke (neck) is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

EDGE Analysis

The upcoming appearance in the minors effectively rules Greinke out from starting in any of the Astros' final five games of the regular season, but provided his injured neck responds fine to Thursday's outing, he looks like he'll be good to go for the playoffs. The bigger question is what kind of role Greinke will fill for Houston during its upcoming postseason run. Per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that it's a "distinct possibility" Greinke works out of the bullpen in October, as Houston already has a number of starters available who have been outperforming the veteran righty of late. Over his final three starts before landing on the shelf, Greinke was blasted for 19 runs (18 earned) on 19 hits -- including five home runs -- and six walks while recording only eight strikeouts in 13 frames.

Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Greinke (neck) will "probably not" make another regular-season start and that that there is a "distinct possibility" the right-hander works out of the bullpen during the playoffs, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Astros previously expressed hope that Greinke would return to the starting rotation by the end of the regular season, but Baker's latest update suggests that he may be unlikely to return before the playoffs. Greinke struggled severely in his last three starts before landing on the IL last Friday, allowing 18 earned runs on 19 hits and six walks across 13 innings. WIth those woes in mind, it's easy to see why Houston thinks the seasoned right-hander could be better suited for a bullpen role during the postseason. Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Greinke is expected to make a rehab outing with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday before his next steps are determined.

Greinke (neck) threw a bullpen session Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

The Astros are hoping Greinke can make a start before the end of the regular season, targeting the weekend series against Oakland. The right-hander may throw another bullpen session Tuesday.

Greinke was scratched from his Friday start against the Athletics and placed on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Greinke last pitched Sunday, but the move to the IL could only be backdated as far as Tuesday. He'll be eligible to be reinstated Oct. 1 against Oakland, though it remains to be seen if he'll need longer to recover from the neck issue. The right-hander has struggled of late, posting a 7.56 ERA while going winless in his last five starts, but he still figures to be in Houston's postseason plans so long as he's able to return in time for the ALDS. Brandon Bielak will start instead Friday. Greinke isn't yet sure when he'll be able to return but could pitch with a reduced workload if he's back in time for the ALDS, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Greinke didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Arizona after allowing five runs on five hits and a walk across our four innings, striking out three.

EDGE Analysis

Greinke has now gone winless in each of his last five starts, posting an 0-3 record with a 7.56 ERA in that stretch despite logging two quality starts as well. He's now given up five or more runs while failing to pitch more than five frames in each of his last three contests.