{"id":122487,"date":"2026-05-22T23:48:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T03:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=122487"},"modified":"2026-05-22T23:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T03:48:59","slug":"reds-chase-burns-stellar-sophomore-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/22\/reds-chase-burns-stellar-sophomore-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cincinnati Reds Might Have a New Ace"},"content":{"rendered":"

The early summer season has arrived in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, and tour guides are getting ready for trips around the world. That being said, let\u2019s not feel left out. Allow me to take you on a trip to beautiful Naples, Italy. We will have pizza as we are in the birthplace of modern pizza, and a nice coffee with a backdrop of Mount Vesuvius. However, there\u2019s one more thing Naples isn’t quite as well known for: it is the birthplace of Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Chase Burns Emerging as Potential New Ace for the Reds<\/h2>\n

Chasing the Crown<\/h2>\n

For the past two seasons, Hunter Greene<\/a> has been the de facto ace of the Reds. It\u2019s hard to argue against it as he was coming off the heels of 2.75 ERA and 2.76 ERA seasons in 2024 and 2025. However, an unfortunate elbow injury<\/a> and the meteoric rise of a top prospect have challenged the previously stable title of \u201cace\u201d on the team. Greene will, of course, return in 2026 and is still an elite pitcher, but Chase Burns sure has taken on the #1 role with ease in his absence.<\/p>\n

\u201cUn Caff\u00e8, Per Favore\u201d<\/h2>\n

Repeat after me, \u201cUn caff\u00e8, per favore.\u201d Congratulations! You have just ordered your first espresso here on our trip to Naples. Now, to the important stuff. After a cup of coffee in the big leagues last year for Burns, there were some questions regarding where he should start the 2026 season. In 2025, Burns appeared in 13 games (eight starts) and had a 4.57 ERA. While that doesn\u2019t sound like a very successful stint, a great deal of those runs came in his second career start, where he got blown up in Boston. Overall, it was a strong first impression for Burns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shove some prosciutto in your uncle\u2019s mouth if he starts to complain about his high ERA because you and I are better than reactionary takes based on surface-level numbers. Burns\u2019 35.6 K% and 2.65 FIP clearly pointed at a much prettier picture than the high ERA, and he has proved that to be every bit of the truth here in 2026.<\/p>\n

Sophomore Season Success<\/h2>\n

OK, everyone, let\u2019s gather around for lunch. I know the perfect order to go with a nice bottle of wine. A 1.83 ERA, 28.2 K%, 7.9 BB%, 3.39 FIP, and 1.5 fWAR. In case you haven\u2019t caught on yet, no, that was not our lunch order. That is Chase Burns\u2019 stats so far in 10 starts this year. At a time when the Reds have struggled immensely, Burns has stepped up his game even more.<\/p>\n

Last Five Starts:<\/p>\n

6 IP \u2014 2 ER<\/p>\n

7 IP \u2014 0 ER<\/p>\n

6 IP \u2014 1 ER<\/p>\n

6 IP \u2014 0 ER<\/p>\n

6 IP \u2014 1 ER<\/p>\n

\n

Chase Burns is one of the best pitchers in MLB and he’s only 23…<\/p>\n

Him and Hunter Greene will be a deadly 1-2 punch for the Reds for years to come ?pic.twitter.com\/Q4R4X47ORR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n