The Cincinnati Reds are making a furious playoff push.
In the midst of that, though, they're down a man
Chase Burns is injured and will be placed on the IL. The news is a bummer so soon after the Reds got Hunter Greene back from his injury.
The Reds announced Friday that Burns is being placed on the IL with a Grade 1 flexor strain. The move is retroactive to August 12.
Burns last pitched on August 8, going six innings against the Pirates while allowing just three hits and one run and striking out 10.
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He has struck out exactly 10 batters in four of his last five starts, a prodigious run for the rookie.
So far through eight career starts, Burns has a 5.24 ERA to go with 57 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched.
The 22-year old was the No. 2 overall pick out of Wake Forest in 2024. He didn't pitch at all in 2024 after being drafted.
But this season, Burns quickly rocketed through the minor leagues as a top-20 prospect in all of baseball.
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His stuff has been mostly as advertised, although hitters have made occasional hard contact off of him in the early going.
It seemed like Burns was just hitting his stride, though, so this injury comes at a tough time for his personal development, as well.
The Reds will have to carry on. They are 64-58 and within a game of a wild card spot with more than a month to play. They've gone on a run, and they have to keep it going. At least Greene is back, which should help, and maybe they'll get Burns back for the stretch run still.
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