Cincinnati Reds TV analyst and former MLB pitcher Jeff Brantley explained that he wasn’t at all surprised that young star starting pitcher Chase Burns was removed from the team’s July 21 game against the Mariners in Seattle after five shutout innings, having thrown 91 pitches with the Reds leading 3-0.
“I think this is what we’re going to look at for the next five, six starts for Chase Burns,” Brantley said. “I don’t think there’s any reasonable expectation that he’s gonna finish the year in the rotation, because he’s going to run out of innings. But I think you’re just gonna have to be happy with what you got here tonight. Get him ready for his next start five days later. He is going to run out of innings.
“I think that’s the part of (Reds manager Terry Francona) that’s sometimes missed by folks watching the ballgame,” Brantley continued. “Just the sheer honestly, the explanation (to Burns). And some managers don’t do that. They just say, ‘You’re out.’ They don’t go tell him. They just tell the pitching coach, ‘Hey, tell him he’s done.’ … ‘Look, I know you’re pitching good. I know you want to be back out there. This is why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re taking you out, we’re saving your innings (and) a lot of stress on the arm.’ Because if you ask Chase Burns, he wants to go back to the mound.”
Burns, who earlier in the month received a seven-year, $105 million extension from the Reds, has pitched 107 2/3 innings over 19 starts this season, his first as an All-Star.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chase Burns won’t finish 2026 season in Reds’ rotation | Jeff Brantley
Reporting by Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
