Cincinnati Reds Elly De La Cruz on two wins in row over New York Mets
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz doubled in a run and scored during Reds’ 3-2 win over the New York Mets Sept. 7.
SAN DIEGO – Hard-throwing rookie pitcher Chase Burns said he’s been told the Cincinnati Reds expect to activate him from the injured list on Sept. 12 for the opener of the three-game weekend series against the Athletics in Sacramento.
It hasn’t been determined whether his return from a flexor tendon strain near his elbow will be in a bullpen role or in the rotation, where he had been pitching before going on the IL in mid-August, manager Terry Francona said.
The right-hander has one more bullpen side session Tuesday.
“And then the plan is that he is available to be activated on Friday,” Francona said. “We’ve had numerous discussions, and we’ll get him through his side and then sit down and talk to him about the plan moving forward.
“We’ve been discussing a lot of things with him,” Francona added. “We want to do what’s right for him and for our team and never, ever forgetting about him. That’s probably the biggest (thing). … When things come up in that (elbow) area, it gives you pause, that’s all.”
The Reds opened a pivotal series against the wild-card-positioned San Diego Padres on Sept. 8, the Reds four games out of playoff position with 19 to play.
Burns, who made his big-league debut in June against the Yankees, has been pain-free through a gradual buildup process that started a week or so after he last pitched on Aug. 12.
The 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick with the 100-mph fastball and exceptional slider has college experience as a reliever and said that would be a big advantage if he’s asked to finish the season in the bullpen.
He made eight starts before the injury, striking out 10 in four of the last five (the exception being the rain-shortened, one-inning start at the Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tennessee).
If there’s an advantage to finding a way to shoehorn him into a rotation that’s already five deep with healthy veterans it would be the possibility of better controlling and monitoring his throwing routine between starts with a close watch on his more familiar work pattern in those starts.
Pitching coach Derek Johnson talked over the summer, even before the injury, about a scenario in which Burns finishes in the bullpen, also with a closely monitored workload that involves restrictions that might include, for instance, avoiding back-to-back days.
Burns said “it feels good” just to know he’ll be able to return and finish the season on the mound.
“I just want to get back out there and throw and try to help the team win,” he said.
