The Cincinnati Reds placed rookie pitcher Chase Burns on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right arm, the team announced on Friday.
Called up to the majors on June 23, Burns has made eight starts for the Reds, notching a 5.24 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He was Cincinnati's 2024 first-round pick (selected No. 2 overall) out of Wake Forest.
The right-hander tallied 10 strikeouts in four of his past five starts, the exception being his appearance in the MLB Speedway Classic that was postponed by rain on Aug. 2 and limited him to one inning. (He still struck out two of the three Atlanta Braves batters he faced.)
Cincinnati activated Hunter Greene (2.47 ERA, 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings) on Wednesday, which fills Burns' spot in the starting rotation. Yet manager Terry Francona was expected to move Burns to the bullpen anyway in an effort to monitor his innings workload, according to The Athletic.
Burns, 22, has thrown 100 1/3 innings this season between advancing through three levels of the minor leagues and his major-league workload. The most innings he's thrown during his career were the 100 frames he logged in 2024 at Wake Forest.
Obviously, an IL stint will now limit Burns' innings through the rest of the season and the hope will be that a minor strain won't lead to a far more serious injury. Francona told reporters that the plan was to pitch Burns through the end of the season in the bullpen, but his availability may now be in doubt with approximately six weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule.
Cincinnati's pitching ranks 11th in MLB with an overall 3.82 ERA. The starters' 3.73 ERA ranks sixth, while the relievers are 15th with a 3.97 ERA.
Going into Friday's MLB slate, the Reds are 64-58, putting them a half-game behind the New York Mets (64-57) for the third wild-card playoff berth in the National League. Cincinnati hosts the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game set this weekend.
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