The Cincinnati Reds aren’t planning to put Chase Burns on ice.
That’s the surprise here: even with Burns already past his previous career high in innings and openly admitting his arm is feeling the effects, the Reds intend to keep him in the rotation through the end of the season as long as he stays healthy. The plan is less about pushing him to the limit and more about managing him carefully while still letting him take the ball.
Burns laid out the approach in plain terms. “This season, making every start and limiting my pitch count and innings, that’s huge for my body,” Burns told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard.
“That’s the plan. Making every start is the biggest thing.
I don’t need to go out there at the end of September and throw 110 pitches. Make every start if I feel great.
Constantly communicate with them.”
For a young pitcher carrying the biggest workload of his career, that’s a notable call. And with the Reds out of contention, it would have been easy to expect a shutdown. Instead, Cincinnati is choosing a middle ground: keep Burns active, but keep a close eye on pitch counts and innings.
Burns didn’t hide the reality that his arm is tired. He also made clear that fatigue doesn’t mean he thinks he can’t keep going.
“You take it day by day,” Burns said. “Your body is sore, but I feel good.
Of course I’m going to feel some fatigue. What we have going on later to end the season and what our goals are for me and the growth aspect… I’d be lying if I said my arm wasn’t fatigued, but I feel great.”
He said he’s been doing plenty of work behind the scenes to stay ready for each outing. And as the first-time All-Star sees it, there’s a bigger picture at play than just finishing out this year.
Burns also pointed to the uncertainty hanging over next season, including the possibility of a lockout affecting the 2027 season. In his view, shutting down now could leave him short on full workloads in back-to-back years.
“Being able to finish off this season healthy and feel great is the biggest thing,” Burns said. “One, we have no clue what’s going to happen next year with the lockout stuff.
For years to come, if I shut down right now and then next year we don’t have a full season, that’s two seasons where I don’t get a full year of throwing. The year after that (2028) is when I’m supposed to be the man, doing my thing.
My body just wouldn’t be able to handle a full season.”
So while the decision may look unusual from the outside, the Reds and Burns see it as part of the same long-term plan: keep him healthy, keep him pitching, and keep building toward the kind of workload he’ll need when he’s expected to anchor the top of the rotation.
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