Reds News: Chase Burns shut down, Spencer Steer Fall League, TJ Friedl's future

Chase Burns' breakout season is over. The Cincinnati Reds newly-crowned ace was placed on the 15-day injured list with a groin strain on Sunday afternoon and replaced by Carson Spiers. Though the injury itself isn't considered to be severe, with just six games remaining on the schedule, Burns' first full season in the big leagues is officially in the books.

And what a season it was. The former first-round pick was selected to represent the Reds in the All-Star Game, and though his participation was limited down the stretch, Burns logged a career-high in innings pitched (154⅓) and will likely receive down-ballot votes for this year's NL Cy Young Award.

Reds News: Chase Burns shut down after breakout season

Burns was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season throughout the city of Cincinnati. In total, he started 29 games and struck out nearly 30% of the batters he faced while posting a 2.86 ERA and 3.24 FIP. His 4.3 fWAR ranked sixth among all NL starters; higher than Paul Skenes, Zack Wheeler, Nolan McLean, and Sandy Alcantara.

It was exceedingly important for Burns to increase his innings-limit this season. And while the Reds' tactics were curious at times, the organization has to feel good about pushing his threshold past 150 innings. If he remains healthy, that number should be tracking closer to 170-plus innings in 2027.

The Reds also made a long-term commitment, securing their ace to a seven-year, $105 million contract extension back in July. It was a bold move, to be sure, but one that could offer tremendous returns if Burns is able to avoid any major setbacks.

Reds News: Spencer Steer is heading to Arizona Fall League

Spencer Steer has been sidelined for almost two months after suffering a wrist injury during an at-bat against the St. Louis Cardinals in late-July. The Reds' super utility player wore a protective brace for several weeks while his wrist healed, and he's now slated to join the team's top prospects out in Arizona as he continues his rehab.

Steer has begun some minor baseball activities, but the goal is for him to receive some actual at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. Surgery is still on the table — though Steer is hoping to avoid such an extreme measure — which would keep him away from the field for up to an additional three months.

Reds News: TJ Friedl DFA'd — what's next?

Amidst all the roster moves the past couple of days, the Reds made the difficult decision to designate TJ Friedl for assignment. There's a chance that Friedl could latch on with a new team in the coming days, or he could accept an outright assignment to the minors and remain part of the Reds' organization this fall — though not on the 40-man roster.

It's been a disappointing season for the Reds as a whole, and Friedl's lack of success has played no small part of the team's disheartening performance. In 91 games, he hit just .172/.255/.255 with a 43 wRC+.

By all accounts, however, Friedl was one of the leaders in the Reds clubhouse and an outstanding member of the Cincinnati community. While his on-the-field performance fell short of expectations this season, there's no way to discount what he did during his time away from baseball and during his previous time on the big-league roster. Here's hoping Friedl lands on his feet heading into the 2027 season.

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