If ever the Cincinnati Reds are going to sneak their way into the playoff race, they’re going to need every last good thing than ace Chase Burns can give them – especially now that they’ll be without Hunter Greene for the remainder of the season.
Problem is, Burns is going to slam into an innings limit at some point in the very near future. He’s already at 118.2 IP so far in the 2026 campaign, already outpacing the 109.1 IP he threw across all levels just last year. Given that he only touched 100
IP exactly in his final college season, there’s not a ton of ‘build up’ on his prized right arm just yet, and letting him blow past 150 IP likely isn’t in the designs of the Reds front office this season.
So, they need to maximize his opportunities while they have them, and one comes around again on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.
Burns starts opposite Nats lefty Andrew Alvarez with first pitch slated for 6:45 PM ET, and the Reds have done what they can to stack the lineup against the southpaw accordingly.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin:
