Chase Burns is knocking on the door.
The No. 11 prospect in all of baseball (MLB Pipeline rankings) stepped onto a mound for Triple-A Louisville for the first time on Thursday night. He looked the part of a blue-chip prospect.
Burns went 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and four walks with two runs. He struck out seven.
You can watch some of his most impressive highlights here:
Want to watch Chase Burns strike out 7 in his Triple-A debut? We've got you covered. 🔥
— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) June 12, 2025
His Final Line:
5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO, 86 pitches/54 strikes pic.twitter.com/FsrsjvT612
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Burns was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest and has risen up the minor league ranks like you may have expected.
He didn't actually pitch in a pro ball game last season, but started the year at High-A Dayton, then moved up to Double-A Chattanooga, and now brought a 1.68 season ERA to Louisville.
He has struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings in his brief MLB career.
Really, there's almost nothing stopping Burns from being brought up to the majors sooner rather than later.
It'll mostly be a decision for the Reds to see if they want to put the stress on his arm or not. Burns can certainly handle the competition.
And while we're here, one fun fact: Burns was born in the Italian city of Napoli.
More pertinent to the matter at hand: He's just trying to make it to Cincinnati.
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