The Cincinnati Reds are currently 39-38 and remain in the playoff mix despite dropping three games in a row.
While the Reds sit in fourth place, seven-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central, they are just three games back from the third NL wild card spot.
Cincinnati has won four of its last five series, including the Detroit Tigers, the best team in Major League Baseball.
A team with a strong pitching staff just got stronger. Cincinnati’s No. 1 prospect Chase Burns has been promoted to the big leagues and will make his first career start against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, per ESPN.
Burns was so good across each level that the Reds had no choice but to call up the talented right-hander.
“It’s kind of hard to come up with a reason why we shouldn’t,” Reds manager Terry Francona said Sunday. “They tried to throw a lot at him. He just kind of handled everything.”
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Burns is 7-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 13 professional starts (66 innings).
“The 22-year-old Burns relies on an upper-90s fastball, and his 86 to 90 mph slider is possibly the best breaking ball in the minor leagues,” wrote ESPN News Services.
Burns joins a talented Reds starting rotation despite missing its top pitcher, Hunter Greene. The promotion of Burns may be enough for the Reds to sneak into the playoffs if the team stays hot.
“We’re trying to give ourselves every chance to win and be in this, and right now, we feel like Chase gives us the best chance, and it’s time to go,” Reds general manager Brad Meador told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
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