Wake Forest Professional Athletes

The Cincinnati Reds are closing out their 2026 season with a pair of Wake Forest alumni anchoring the rotation — and while the results have been mixed, Chase Burns continues to flash the stuff that made him one of the most closely watched arms in baseball.

Burns Keeps His ERA Pristine

Burns turned in two starts during the week of Sept. 13–19, and his calling card remains a stingy earned-run allowance that most major-league starters would envy. On Sunday, Sept. 13, he went three innings against Milwaukee, striking out five and allowing two earned runs in a 4-3 Reds win — a stint the Yahoo Sports coverage framed as "abbreviated" in a brutal series against the Brewers. Burns was back on the mound Friday, Sept. 18, against the Cubs in what GABP billed as its final home series of the season. He again went three innings, punched out four, and gave up two earned runs in a 6-4 Cincinnati win.

The result of those two outings: a 2.86 ERA on the season. Across the two starts, Burns combined for nine strikeouts in six innings of work — efficient if not always deep into games. The shortened outings are worth watching as a potential storyline heading into the offseason, but the bottom line is that Burns has been one of the cleaner arms in the Reds' organization when it counts.

Lowder Grinds Through a Tough Week

Rhett Lowder, the other Deacon in Cincinnati's rotation, had a harder time of it on Tuesday, Sept. 15, against the Dodgers. Lowder went five innings — the longer outing of the two Wake Forest starters this week — and struck out four, but surrendered three earned runs in a game Cincinnati dropped. His ERA sits at 5.79, a figure that reflects a rougher overall season compared to his former college teammate.

Still, Lowder eating five innings against a Los Angeles lineup that has been one of the most dangerous in the National League is context worth noting. It wasn't a performance to celebrate, but it wasn't a collapse, either.

The Bigger Picture

The presence of Burns and Lowder in the same major-league rotation is a genuine point of pride for Wake Forest's baseball program. The two right-handers were drafted in the first round in consecutive years and arrived in Cincinnati as part of the franchise's longer-term rebuild. As the 2026 season winds down, Burns in particular has positioned himself as one of the more compelling young starters in the NL — a 2.86 ERA is no accident.

No other Wake Forest alumni in MLB had notable statistical activity in the brief during this period, though the Deacons' footprint across the league — from the Reds to the Athletics, Phillies, Braves, and beyond — reflects the program's consistent ability to develop professional talent.

For Burns and Lowder, the closing weeks of September are less about playoff implications and more about building momentum for what comes next. On that front, Burns, at least, is making a strong case.

It was a week that put Wake Forest's MLB alumni front and center — and not always for the right reasons.

Burns Holds His Own in LA

Chase Burns opened the Reds' series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and largely did what he's been doing all season: compete. The right-hander went three innings against one of baseball's most dangerous lineups, striking out five and keeping his ERA at a pristine 2.73. The Reds dropped the game 6–3, but the loss landed squarely on the bullpen's shoulders, not Burns'.

Heading into the series, Cincinnati was leaning on Burns as their de facto stopper — and against a Dodgers squad riding a four-game winning streak, holding the fort through three frames while fanning five is a respectable evening's work. His usage pattern has become something of a talking point for the Reds this stretch: efficient, controlled outings designed to navigate the lineup once and hand things off. It's not a conventional ace's role, but Burns is making it work — a 2.73 ERA this deep into September speaks for itself.

Lowder Gets Roughed Up in the Finale

Where Burns steadied the ship, Rhett Lowder watched it sink. Taking the ball for the series finale on Thursday, Sept. 10, Lowder lasted just 3.1 innings against the Dodgers, surrendering seven earned runs and striking out four. His ERA ballooned to 5.81 on the season — a number that tells a difficult story for a pitcher who arrived with considerable fanfare.

The matchup didn't do him any favors. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was toeing the rubber for LA, and the Dodgers appeared fully locked in. But seven earned runs in 3.1 innings is a problem that transcends the opponent. Lowder and Burns now find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum: two Wake Forest arms on the same staff, going in very different directions as the season winds down.

Fairchild DFA'd, Then Outrighted to Triple-A

Off the mound and into the transaction wire: Stuart Fairchild had a rough week in Seattle that had nothing to do with a box score.

The 30-year-old outfielder had been added to the Mariners' roster just five days prior to replace Víctor Robles, who was on the family medical emergency list. Once Robles was reinstated, Fairchild was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was subsequently outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma — completing a dizzying two-promotion, two-DFA cycle that Sports Illustrated called a "bizarre" Mariners stat line.

Fairchild retains the right to elect free agency rather than accept the outright assignment, though the Mariners offered no indication which direction he'd lean. A glove-first outfielder in his early 30s, Fairchild now faces a familiar crossroads: accept the Triple-A assignment and stay in the organization, or test the market for a fresh start elsewhere.

---

Three Deacons, three very different headlines. Burns is making a case for himself as a legitimate rotation piece heading into next season. Lowder needs a reset. And Fairchild is navigating the unglamorous reality of life on the roster bubble. Wake Forest's MLB footprint remains real — it just looks different depending on which alumni you're watching.

The Burns File

The Reds are in the thick of a late-season push, and Wake Forest's Chase Burns is the arm they're leaning on most. The right-hander carried a 2.79 ERA into the final stretch of the 2026 season — a number that has Cincinnati's front office both delighted and cautious.

On Sunday Night Baseball against the Cubs (Aug. 30), Burns delivered the kind of outing that's defined his year: 5.2 innings, seven strikeouts, two earned runs in a 7-5 Reds win. He gave up a leadoff homer to NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong — the Cubs outfielder's 37th of the season — but settled in and kept Cincinnati in control long enough for the offense to take over. Hector Rodriguez's three-run shot and home runs from Sal Stewart and Tyler Stephenson did the rest.

The performance reinforced what's become increasingly clear: Burns isn't just surviving the major league transition; he's thriving in it. The question now is how far Cincinnati is willing to let him go. With innings limits a real concern for the young starter, the Reds are reportedly looking to manage his workload carefully as the season winds down. The return of Brandon Williamson to the rotation is expected to give the club the depth needed to keep Burns on a tighter leash without sacrificing competitive starts.

It's a delicate balance — pull him back too far and you lose one of your best starters; push him too hard and you risk a prized arm heading into what should be his first full, healthy offseason as a big leaguer.

The Other Deac on the Mound

Burns wasn't the only Wake Forest arm taking the hill for Cincinnati this week. Fellow Demon Deacon alum Rhett Lowder started Friday's home matchup against Milwaukee — and it was a rough one. Lowder lasted just four innings, allowing six earned runs and striking out two in what was a difficult night at Great American Ball Park against the Brewers' lineup. His ERA sits at 5.43, a stark contrast to the standard Burns has set atop the rotation.

The two alumni sharing a rotation is a fun story for Demon Deacon fans, but their trajectories this week illustrated just how wide the margin can be between a pitcher locked in and one searching for consistency.

Fairchild Gets His Shot in Seattle

Away from Cincinnati, Stuart Fairchild is back on an active roster. The Mariners selected the Wake Forest outfielder's contract this week, activating him to fill a void left by Víctor Robles, who was placed on the family medical emergency list. Fairchild has bounced around organizations but earns another shot in Seattle, giving Demon Deacon fans yet another alumnus to track in the final days of the regular season.

Three Wake Forest products on active MLB rosters in the same week — Burns anchoring a playoff contender's rotation, Lowder working through growing pains alongside him, and Fairchild landing a fresh opportunity on the West Coast — makes this a banner stretch for the program's pro pipeline.