Chase Burns has been, quite simply, one of the best pitchers on the planet so far in 2026. Through 102.2 IP, he has struck out 118 against just 37 walks, pitching to a 2.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP for the Cincinnati Reds.
That was more than enough for him to earn his way onto the All Star Game roster for the National League, and the fact that he last pitched on Wednesday meant that he’d likely be more than just a figurehead in the dugout there – he’d actually be rested enough to pitch.
Turns out that won’t
actually happen, however. As MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed on Saturday afternoon, the Reds say Burns won’t pitch after all. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski has been named as his replacement for the Midsummer Classic.
Burns threw a career-high 106 pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies the last time out, and the Reds already had announced he’d be 5th out of the gate in the season’s second half, per WLWT’s Charlie Clifford. So, there’s hope that the Reds are simply doing everything they can to give their stud a bit of a break after setting an unsustainable pace of IP through the season’s first half.
With the return of Hunter Greene and the presence of Rhett Lowder, now in the bullpen, the Reds are going to have to begin to manage the pitches and innings on Burns’ prized right arm if he’s to still be available in any capacity down the stretch. This sure seems to be an easy way to buy him roughly two weeks off in the middle of the year, and it’s going to have positive repercussions down the road.
