Chase Burns brings fearless edge Reds have been missing

The Cincinnati Reds are building something special in the starting rotation. Hunter Greene is motivated after a rumor-fueled offseason, and if he can stay healthy, he will surely land himself in the NL Cy Young discussion.

Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Brady Singer form a rock-solid middle-of-the-rotation trio. The fifth starter spot is where things will get interesting. A plethora of young arms from Chase Burns to Rhett Lowder to Brandon Williamson, and more, will be duking it out for the final spot.

Burns might already be the front-runner. The 23-year-old has an electric repertoire that can rival even Greene's. He's got the confidence and swagger of having the big league experience under his belt. Should he win the spring training competition, he'd add another dimension to the Reds' rotation. See, the top four veterans, despite their success, are pretty mild-mannered on the mound. For Burns, the fire burning within comes out.

Chase Burns is bringing a fiery mentality to the Reds in 2026

Burns is known for being hyper-competitive on the mound. He's not afraid to let his emotions out, especially after a big moment. He became somewhat famous for that during his time at Wake Forest.

That drive has fueled him to deliver some impressive moments. Burns made his big league debut on June 24 against the New York Yankees. In that start, he made history, becoming the first pitcher since 1961 to strike out the first five batters he faced. Three of those hitters were Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger, who have combined for five MVP awards between the three of them.

He's bringing that intensity to spring training, treating the warmup period as if it were a playoff series. As Terry Francona noted, the youngster didn't want to rock the boat and was more subdued when he arrived in the bigs last season. Now, his real personality is coming out.

Everyone is different,” Terry Francona said. “To Chase’s credit, he let the team and the game come to him. He didn’t try to over-do it. As he gets more comfortable, you’ll see his true personality — whatever that is — show more often. I think the way he went about it was smart.”

Meanwhile, Burns now feels like he belongs and is ready to let loose.

“I’m a competitive guy,” Burns said. “I’m trying to punch tickets (strikeouts) every time. Why not? I’m trying to get three pitches and an out as quick as possible. I try not to waste pitches. I love the competitiveness. I love it. I love getting fired up out there. I play the game with a lot of passion. I love going out there and showing off my stuff.”

Here's how he's shown off that stuff so far this spring.

Wow. Just wow. Burns is preparing to win the fifth starter job as if he were preparing to pitch in Game 7 of the World Series. He's trying to blow everyone away, but be efficient at the same time. His competition is steep, but if he pulls off the win, it will be something to see.

And when you contrast the fire he'll unleash on the rest of the league in comparison to the cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor the other four starters possess, it will really be something. And fans can't wait to see it take shape.