Chase Burns is headed to the Midsummer Classic. The Cincinnati Reds right-hander was named an NL All-Star on July 14, 2026, becoming the first Reds rookie to earn the honor since Scott Williamson did it in 1999 — a 27-year gap that underscores just how rare this distinction is. Burns is only the ninth player in franchise history to make an All-Star team as a Reds rookie, a list so short it fits on one hand with fingers to spare. For a Reds fan base hungry for a homegrown ace to build around, this selection is more than a summer award. It's a statement.

Chase Burns 2026 All-Star Selection: The Number That Matters

Nine. That's the total number of Cincinnati Reds rookies — across the entire history of the franchise — who have been named NL All-Stars. Burns is now one of them. The last time a Reds rookie made this roster, Bill Clinton was in the White House, Napster was still a year away, and Scott Williamson was a bullpen revelation out of nowhere. Williamson won NL Rookie of the Year that season. The company Burns keeps on this list is genuinely exclusive.

For context, the Reds as a franchise have sent 271 players total to the All-Star Game — a common occurrence for an organization with Cincinnati's history. But rookie All-Stars? That's a completely different threshold. Most players need years in the league before they're considered. Burns cleared that bar in his first full campaign.

What Burns Has Done to Earn This Spot

Burns arrived in Cincinnati and made an immediate impact, showing the kind of swing-and-miss stuff and command that scouts project onto future rotation anchors. The specifics of his early-career line only set the table for what he's done in 2026.

Now, heading into 2026 with a full year of seasoning, Burns has taken that foundation and built something special. An active storyline tracked throughout this season tells you everything: Burns has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts, a stretch that ties Andy Coakley's 1908 mark for the second-longest such run by a Reds pitcher since 1900. That kind of sustained dominance over a full half-season is what gets you on an All-Star ballot. That's what gets you on the plane.

What Burns Has Done in 2026

  • 10 consecutive starts allowing 2 runs or fewer — tied for second-longest by a Reds pitcher since 1900
  • That streak ties Andy Coakley's 1908 mark, a number that puts Burns in genuine franchise-history conversation
  • Named NL All-Star on July 14, 2026 — the first Reds rookie to earn the honor since Scott Williamson in 1999

The Reds Rookie All-Star Lineage

Scott Williamson in 1999 remains the most recent comparison point, and it's worth lingering there for a moment. Williamson came out of the Cincinnati bullpen that year and was virtually unhittable, eventually taking home NL Rookie of the Year honors. Burns is a starter, not a reliever, but the trajectory rhymes. A young arm arrives, overwhelms hitters, and forces the national conversation to notice Cincinnati exists.

Before Williamson, the list of Reds rookie All-Stars is a walk through franchise lore — eight players across decades of baseball. Burns is now the ninth entry. Whether his name stays alongside theirs as a career-defining chapter or simply as a promising opening sentence, this selection is already written in ink.

What Comes Next for Burns and the Reds Rotation

The picture around Burns gets more interesting when you zoom out. Hunter Greene — who missed time with an elbow injury — is working his way back to reunite with Burns atop the Cincinnati rotation. A healthy Greene-and-Burns tandem is the kind of one-two combination that changes how opposing teams game-plan against the Reds in the second half. If Greene returns to full form, Cincinnati's rotation outlook shifts considerably heading into what should be a competitive NL Central race against Milwaukee, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.

JJ Bleday has also emerged as one of the Reds' better offensive contributors since his April 26 recall, giving Burns and the pitching staff more margin for error when runs are at stake. The roster construction around this All-Star right-hander will matter enormously over the next two and a half months.

But right now, none of that diminishes the moment. Chase Burns is a 2026 NL All-Star. He's the first Reds rookie to wear that badge since 1999. At Great American Ball Park, the faithful have watched this kid work all season. The rest of the country is about to get a proper introduction.