Reds fans itching to see Chase Burns won't like Cincy's plans for the 1st-round pick

The Cincinnati Reds did not rush 2023 first-round draft pick Rhett Lowder after taking him with the seventh-overall pick last summer, and it appears that the organization will take the same approach with this year's first-rounder Chase Burns.

According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Burns' professional debut won't come until 2025. The right-hander will, however, work out at the Reds' complex in Goodyear, Arizona and could appear in instructional league games later this year.

Reds 1st-round pick Chase Burns will not debut until 2025

The Reds surprised a lot of their fans after going with Burns instead of Georgia slugger Charlie Condon with the second-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Though Burns was widely regarded by many to be the top pitcher in the draft class, a lot of the Cincinnati faithful felt as if Condon could've been a difference-maker in the middle of the Reds lineup.

But Burns was the pick, and the Reds fanbase will have to wait until next season to get a glimpse of the 21-year-old in action. Burns began his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, but transferred to Wake Forest this past season.

In his lone season with the Demon Deacons, Burns was 10-1 in 16 starts with a 2.70 ERA and 191 punch outs in 100 innings pitched. The right-hander has a plus-fastball and an elite slider. Burns can hit the upper 90s with regularity and has a developing changeup that many scouts view as a plus pitch as well.

The Reds took a similar approach with Rhett Lowder last year

Lowder was held out of games last season, but has already ascended to the upper levels of the minor leagues in his first professional season. Last year's first-round pick dominated the opposition at High-A and was quickly promoted to Double-A after just five starts with the Dayton Dragons. Of late, Lowder has been lights out, allowing just one run is his last four starts whlie striking out 19 batters.

While Reds fans are surely disappointed that they won't see Burns toe the rubber for the rest of this season, his advanced approach could see the right-hander fly up through the Cincinnati farm system. It wouldn't be surprising to see both Burns and Lowder in a Reds uniform by 2026, if not sooner.

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