You may recall some of the highlights (and lone true lowlight) of Chase Burns’ rookie campaign in 2025.
He began his year in late June by striking out just about every single New York Yankee that came to the plate against him only to get lit up by a Boston Red Sox club in his second start (once they realized he was tipping his pitches).
That wrinkle was immediately ironed out, and over his final 11 games of the season he thre 38.0 IP of 3.32 ERA ball (with a microscopic 2.16 FIP) buttressed by an absurd 59/14 K/BB. All that came as he juggled a sore forearm and almost a month off, and it came in a hybrid role that featured multiple innings most times out but not as a fully stretched-out starter.
The former #2 overall draft pick is set for his 2026 debut on Monday evening in Great American Ball Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 2-1 Cincinnati Reds play host to their longtime NL Central rivals for the first time this season. Burns, with all the talent in the world, is still a bit of a mystery, as he de-loaded towards the end of spring camp after not responding as well to his ramp-up as he and the Reds had hoped.
In other words, he enters this first start of the season completely healthy, but without the expectation that he’ll throw 100 pitches and try to get through 7 frames. How, exactly, the Reds use him remains to be seen, especially since the rest of the rotation is already dealing with the elbow surgery on Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo’s IL stint due to blisters.
What we do know is that when he’s on the mound, he’s going to be chucking 100+ mph heaters and his knee-buckling slider, a combo that already has him among the most feared arms in the sport.
The Reds will roll out a lineup featuring most of the usuals up top, though Will Benson will get another start in RF in this one as Pittsburgh sends RHP Braxton Ashcraft to the mound.
It’s a 6:40 PM ET start time for this one in GABP, and you’ll be able to watch the Reds.TV broadcast just about anywhere it’s available.
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