Reds avoid brutal repeat scenario thanks to Terry Francona's subtle rotation tweak

The season has only begun, and the Cincinnati Reds have already gone through various permutations of their starting rotation. At the outset of spring training, it seemed as if only one of Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson could be included in the rotation, but Hunter Greene's injury cleared the path for another youngster to step up.

Cincinnati then decided that it was too hard to choose, and decided to keep all three, opting for a quasi-timeshare in the fourth and fifth spots without fully committing to a six-man rotation. An Andrew Abbott blister scare and then a more serious Nick Lodolo blister injury, resulting in an IL stint, have given the young guns the opportunity to own the three-through-five spots in the rotation. For now, at least.

The earliest Lodolo can return to action is April 7, but in the meantime, the original shuffle would have brought Burns into the third spot in the rotation, setting him up to close out the opening series in Boston.

The Red Sox had given the 23-year-old his welcome to the bigs moment last year, tagging the flamethrower for seven runs (five earned) over just 1/3 of an inning. With that, Terry Francona pulled a switch-a-roo, bumping up Lowder to the No. 3 spot and lining up Burns to start the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Terry Francona's decision to shuffle Chase Burns' start will pay dividends for the Reds

Burns finished last season with a 4.57 ERA over 43 1/3 innings, which might make it seem like he struggled more than he actually did. If you take out the Red Sox start from his line, his ERA on the year drops by a full run, coming in at 3.56.

Obviously, you can't just forget that a bad start ever happened, but putting his showing into context matters. What also matters is the psychological aspect of the game. That's where having a savvy veteran manager like Terry Francona is a huge boon.

Francona has been around the block a few times, and while he's no pushover and commands respect, he also knows how to be there for his players. That's particularly important for a young team like the Reds.

Shuffling the deck isn't always an option, but in the early going, the schedule allows for some flexibility. Tito has a deep understanding of the mental side of the game and saw fit to ensure he was doing everything in his power to keep an important young cog like Burns on track. As his confidence grows, he'll be ready for the more adversity-charged moments that are sure to come.

Burns is going to play an important role for Cincinnati this year, even when the injured veterans come back. He was named by MLB.com as one of the 10 players poised to take advantage of injuries for good reason. His power arsenal is the best facsimile the Reds have of Greene while he's on the mend, and he's also the youngster most likely to hang in the rotation once Lodolo and Greene return.

Therefore, avoiding an unnecessary early-season challenge is ideal. It might seem like a little thing, but it is something most managers would overlook. Not Francona. If Burns goes on to dominate this year, we can look back on this decision as one of the keys that allowed him to take off. Sometimes, it's the little things that make the big things happen.