On Thursday, April 16, Chase Burns started on the mound for the Cincinnati Reds against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park.
In a 3-0 loss for the Reds, Burns had four strikeouts in six innings of work. Over that same stretch, he allowed just two hits and gave up no runs.
It was a good bounce-back start for Burns after he gave up five earned runs in a start against the Los Angeles Angels on April 10.
This season, the 23-year-old right-hander has a 2.42 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 22 ⅓ innings of work. Burns has now made four total starts this season.
Burns faces off against his former coach, Tony Vitello
After the loss to the Giants, Burns talked about his relationship with his former collegiate coach, Tony Vitello.
Vitello is now in his first season as a Major League Baseball manager with San Francisco.
“I don’t talk to him,” Burns said, referring to Vitello. “I have some guys over there, like Q [Quentin Eberhardt], the strength coach. That’s about it.”
Eberhardt is the Director of Performance with the Giants organization. He followed Vitello from the University of Tennessee back in November of 2025 to join him at the professional level.
Burns also talked about facing off against Vitello’s team and whether the performance he put together meant something more to him.
“I have no thoughts on that,” Burns stated. “I just went out there and did my job.”
Burns and his collegiate career with Tennessee and Wake Forest
Burns played for Vitello in 2022 and 2023 during his college career. In two seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, Burns had a 3.54 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 152 ⅓ innings of work.
In 2022, he was the D1 Baseball National Freshman of the Year. D1 Baseball also named him a third-team All-American that season.
In 2023, he was a part of a Tennessee team that went to the College World Series in Omaha.
Before the 2024 season, Burns transferred from Tennessee to play for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The 2024 college baseball season would turn out to be his best.
Burns was the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Pitcher of the Year. He broke the record for most strikeouts in a single season by a Wake Forest pitcher with 191 in 100 innings of work.
Burns also had a 2.70 ERA that season and allowed an opposing batting average of .175. Along with being the ACC Pitcher of the Year, he was also a first-team All-American.
Number two overall pick by the Reds
The transfer move from Tennessee to Wake Forest paid off for Burns. He was selected second overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Reds.
On June 24, 2025, Burns made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds against the New York Yankees. In five innings of work, he struck out eight hitters.
Up next for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Reds have an 11-8 record this season and are tied for first in the National League Central division alongside the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Their next game is on Friday, April 17, against the Minnesota Twins. That game is at Target Field in Minneapolis, and the first pitch is at 8:10 p.m.
For More MLB News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
PHOTO: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in Cincinnati, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
