Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon talks Burns, more in Reddit AMA

On Wednesday, MLB.com Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon held his first Ask Me Anything on Reddit with Reds fans at r/Reds. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.

Questions and answers may have been lightly edited for length and clarity

Barring an injury, does Chase Burns make his MLB debut this season?

It definitely is possible. Burns is already ahead of the Rhett Lowder trail by getting to Double-A Chattanooga after only three starts at High-A Dayton. Lowder had five starts for Dayton before he got moved up to Chattanooga. Certainly, Lowder reached the big leagues last season because the Reds had a rotation need. If the Reds aren't in that situation late in the season, Burns may have to wait until 2026. Either way, there's a lot to like about his first pro season thus far.

Do you think Rece Hinds will be in the lineup soon?

Things can change quickly around here. Shortly after I answered this question on Reddit, Hinds was promoted from Triple-A Louisville when Noelvi Marte went on the injured list with a left oblique strain. Hinds was definitely playing well at Louisville and had eight homers.

Why are the hitters so inconsistent? It looks like a lack of tenacity and also not much situational hitting and battling at the plate.

Offense was the area of concern heading into the season, especially since there weren't a ton of additions besides Gavin Lux and Austin Hays. Except for the two weeks Hays was producing, it's been inconsistent. Not sure how you judge tenacity or battling, but there have been several moments to like. [Elly] De La Cruz had an 11-pitch AB before getting a hit and has a few other good duels. He's also striking out less. Lux sees a lot of pitches and [TJ] Friedl has been solid.

What's it going to take for the Reds to become legitimate contenders again? Will a couple of years of Tito, with this roster, be enough? I was born in 1991, so I've never seen a World Series winner (or much winning at all), is there hope?

I totally get Reds fans being out of patience. It's been since 1995 since Cincinnati won a playoff series. It's been since 2012 since the Reds won a division title.

Francona is singularly focused on winning and doesn't spend time worrying about peripheral things. His resume brings credibility, but it does take a little time for the message and culture to build. As for the current roster, this year's club needed more offense in the offseason. It's going to take the hitters they have to step it up and if they're in it come July, perhaps the front office will leverage some of the organization's prospect capital to trade for a bat. They have the starting pitching to contend, but need to support their efforts more consistently.

Favorite story ever covered or favorite season to cover in Cincy?

My favorite story I wrote was a Joey Votto oral history about his Draft year. My favorite season was probably 2012 -- that team was really good and there were a lot of interesting players and stories. Had Johnny Cueto not been hurt 8 pitches into Game 1 of the National League Division Series at San Francisco, the 97-win Reds might have reached the World Series instead of the Giants.