Chase Burns injury: Reds rookie flamethrower dealing with elbow issue, lands on IL

The Cincinnati Reds have placed rookie right-hander Chase Burns on the injured list on account of a grade 1 flexor strain in his right elbow, the team announced ahead of Friday's contest vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. In a corresponding move, the Reds recalled lefty Joe La Sorsa from Triple-A Louisville. (The Reds also sent veteran lefty Wade Miley to Double-A Chattanooga on a rehab assignment.)

Burns, 22, heads to the shelf after making eight big-league appearances. In 34 innings, he's compiled a 5.24 ERA (88 ERA+) and a 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His fastball has averaged 98.4 mph. Burns last pitched on Aug. 8, when he notched a quality start against the Pittsburgh Pirates that saw him surrender one run on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out 10 of the 22 batters he faced.

It's unclear how long Burns will be sidelined. Baseball Prospectus' recovery database reveals that pitchers miss on average nearly 70 days with a median closer to 50 days because of flexor strains. Every injury is unique, meaning that Burns might beat both numbers. If not, he could be out for the remainder of the regular season. 

Burns' deactivation comes just days after Cincinnati saw staff ace Hunter Greene return to the rotation following an absence of more than two months because of a strained right groin.

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The Reds will enter this weekend's series against the first-place Brewers just a half-game behind the New York Mets in the race for the National League's third and final wild card spot. The Brewers have won 12 games in a row and are 26-4 in their last 30. The Reds, for their part, have the third-best record in the NL over the past month, winning 18 of their last 30.