We know what Chase Burns has done for the Cincinnati Reds so far in 2026. He owns a stellar 14-3 record on the season, and even though pitcher win/loss is a mostly meaningless stat, it’s telling given just how bad the Reds have been more often than not this season. He has pitched to a 2.77 ERA across 25 starts, and the 139.2 IP he has logged so far is already a career high.
What we don’t know is just how much more the Reds plan on letting him show this year.
Burns hinted after his most recent start
– perhaps his worst outing of the year on the road in San Francisco – that the club would likely begin to carve off some innings at the end of his starts that he’d have otherwise pitched through. The plan is not to shut him down for good, not to move him to the bullpen, and not to really ‘skip’ him in the rotation; rather, we might just see him tasked with chucking 75-80 pitches every fifth day instead of 95-100.
Our first real chance to see that plan develop will be everyone’s, as that comes on Sunday Night Baseball under the bright lights of a national audience in Chicago as the Reds and Cubs wrap their series in Wrigley. Despite being absolutely obliterated on Saturday, the Reds can still actually walk away with a series victory if Burns & Co. can fly their own W this evening.
First pitch is slated for 7:20 PM ET, and you’ll be able to view it on either NBC or streaming via Peacock.
Here’s how the Reds will line up behing Burns, including rookie Edwin Arroyo getting his first career big league start at the hot corner:
