The Cincinnati Reds played the San Francisco Giants on Friday in a spring training game. Chase Burns had the start. While he pitched well, the right-handed starter only appeared in two innings. At this point in the spring, most starters are working four or five innings depending on pitch count. 

Burns' early absence from the game led some to wonder if there was an injury concern. The Reds starter shut down the concern while speaking to reporters after the game. 

"Yeah," Burns responded when asked if he was okay. Burns went on to explain that the early exit was planned. The team seemingly wanted to give him a short start because he's been throwing quite a bit.

Burns struck out two hitters across his two innings on the mound. He also allowed only one hit and did not surrender any walks. Although he did not record many innings, it was an encouraging performance. 

At the beginning of spring training, it seemed as if Burns was on track to battle for the No. 5 rotation spot. With Hunter Greene expected to be out until July due to an injury, however, now there are two open rotation spots. Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer will lead the way, while Burns, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson are expected to compete for the final two spots in the starting rotation.

Burns seems to be in a quality position to begin the 2026 season in Cincinnati. The 23-year-old made his big league debut in 2025 and turned in a 4.57 ERA across 13 outings. Although his numbers did not jump off the page, he received valuable experience at the MLB level that will only help him moving forward.

Burns was the team's top prospect last year. The Reds believe he can become a star in MLB. He has certainly displayed signs of serious potential.

Through four spring training starts (10 total innings) so far, Burns has allowed five earned runs and struck out 13 hitters. While he has given up six walks, Burns has only allowed seven total hits. Two home runs have caused most of the damage against him on the mound, but Burns has had plenty of encouraging overall results despite his 4.50 spring training ERA.

Chase Burns will look to finish spring training strong with Opening Day just a couple of weeks away.