Cincinnati Reds beginning pitcher Chase Burns picked up the place he left off throughout his first begin of the 2026 season.
The No. 2 total decide of the 2024 MLB Draft began Cincinnati’s series-opener towards the division rival Pittsburgh Pirates (1-3) on Monday and picked up the win within the 2-0 victory.
Burns pitched 5 innings, ending with seven strikeouts whereas permitting 4 base runners (three walks, one single) within the shutout effort.
The hard-throwing right-hander overpowered Pirates batters together with his fastball, which topped out at 99.6 mph, according to Baseball Savant, on a swinging strike to retire catcher Henry Davis within the third inning.
Chase Burns carries 2025 momentum into 2026 debut
He additionally caught first baseman Spencer Horwitz trying on a 98.8 mph four-seamer to finish the highest of the second.
Burns’ slider was arguably much more devastating, fooling a number of Pirates hitters to finish at-bats. He closed out the highest of the primary by getting designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to swing on a 90 mph slider low and away.
Burns closed his begin with back-to-back strikeouts on swinging strikes by way of slider, efficiently constructing on a powerful end to 2025.
Final season began tough for the gifted prospect. Burns had a 6.26 earned run common (ERA) via his first six main league begins, permitting 30 hits and 12 walks with 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. He settled down afterward, with 5 of his closing seven appearances popping out of the bullpen. Throughout that span, Burns pitched 16 innings, putting out 22 batters whereas permitting 11 hits and 4 walks and posting a 1.69 ERA.
That carried over to Monday, when Burns confirmed traits of being a future ace. He joins a gifted however depleted Reds beginning rotation that additionally consists of left-hander Andrew Abbott, who had a 2.87 ERA in 166.1 innings (29 begins) final season and pitched six shutout innings in his 2026 debut, and seven-year veteran Brady Singer, the workforce’s chief in wins (14) a season in the past.
Rhett Lowder, the No. 7 total decide of the 2023 MLB Draft, made his first begin since September 2024 on Sunday, permitting two earned runs on three hits and two walks in 5 innings throughout a 3-2 win over the Boston Crimson Sox, after lacking 2025 with an elbow damage.
The Reds (3-1) are with out projected ace Hunter Greene (elbow), a 2024 All-Star, and Nick Lodolo (blister) for the foreseeable future, with Greene out till July (on the earliest) and Lodolo on the 60-day IL.
Performances like Burns’ on Monday will make life simpler for Cincinnati with its beginning depth examined. And when the Reds get absolutely wholesome, their five-man rotation may very well be second to none.
