At the beginning of this season, the Chicago Cubs rookie who was dominating headlines was Shota Imanaga based on his historically low ERA that hadn't been seen in decades.
As the Japanese phenom continued to impress, another one of their rookies quietly started to make a name for himself. Ben Brown was promoted and used in different roles for a team that desperately needed reliable arms at that time.
Coming up the minor league ranks as a starting pitcher, he was utilized out of the bullpen in the MLB at times, rotating between being the starter and coming on as a reliever.
That's what impressed Cubs manager Craig Counsell and Brown's teammates so much.
Despite being used in completely different roles that requires different mindsets, the star prospect posted a 2.11 ERA in April and a ridiculous 1.16 ERA in May across 12 total outings and six starts.
Unfortunately, during his seven no-hit innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 28, he felt a pain in his neck he thought he could fight through. He stayed in the mix and started two games against the Cincinnati Reds in June that saw him allow eight earned runs during nine innings pitched.
That prompted Brown and Chicago to get imaging done.
He was then diagnosed with a strain in his neck and was placed on the injured list.
After getting multiple opinions from different doctors, this was considered something that stemmed from a stress reaction and was expected to keep him sidelined for up to three months.
However, it sounds like the Cubs could be getting him back much sooner than that.
According to the team's injury report page, Counsell said, "The initial diagnosis is not something we're operating under right now, which is good news ... And we think that as this goes, this can move on much more quickly."
How quickly will be determined by how much pain Brown can tolerate.
"I can't have the discomfort that I had against Cincinnati, but I can have the discomfort that I had against Milwaukee. It's just a matter of how much I can handle," he told Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune.
On June 18, the 24-year-old started a throwing program after doctors were "not concerned" with the updated imaging they received. He has worked his way up to playing catch at 90 feet.
When Brown will make his return to the field is unknown, but there's a good chance he'll be throwing impact innings for the Cubs again in 2024.
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There isn't a specific date for wide receiver Christian Watson to return to the field. He won't practice throughout training camp, and will possibly start the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, missing the first four games of the year. But the Green Bay Packers are pleased with his recovery process. Before the first day of training camp practice on Wednesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about Watson and how he's looking less than seven months after tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bears in January. "[Christian Watson looks] Great. Yeah, he's kind of a freak, you know," Gutekunst mentioned. "He did a run test the other day and looked great. Again, it's an ACL, and it's his second one, so we're going to take our time with it. I'm sure there's going to be a time where he's really pressing to get out there, but he's doing great." PUP rules At this moment, Christian Watson is on the active/PUP list, which means he can be activated at any point before the regular season. If he's to miss the first month of the season anyway, the Packers can move him to the reserve/PUP list on cutdown day, so he wouldn't count against the initial 53-man roster—and would miss at least the first four games, against the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys. The Packers could open his 21-day practice window following that, and after three weeks the team had to make a final call about activating him or moving him to the injured reserve. However, the team is not forced to open the practice window after three weeks, and Watson could spend more time on the PUP. Usually, the Packers tend to wait ten months for players with ACL injuries to return, putting the wide receiver in position to play in early November. There is a curious extra element that applies to Watson, even though it's an unlikely one. Because he is in the final year of his deal, if Watson spends the entire season on PUP and is never activated, his contract will toll to 2026. That means he would be under contract for next year, with the same $1.965 million base salary. Players who weren't on the field on Wednesday: LB Quay Walker (ankle) WR Christian Watson (knee) CB Micah Robinson (knee) EDGE/LB Collin Oliver (hamstring) RB Amar Johnson (hamstring) G John Williams (back) C Elgton Jenkins (back)
The New York Giants officially opened training camp on Wednesday, and the good news for Jaxson Dart was that the rookie had nowhere to go but up after his first play of practice. Dart’s very first pass of 11-on-11 drills was intercepted by third-year cornerback Nic Jones. Dart stared his receiver down the entire way, and Jones showed the former Ole Miss star why doing so in the NFL is never a good idea. The whistle blew after the interception, but Jones would have taken it the other way for a touchdown had the play been live. Like any rookie quarterback, Dart is going to make plenty more mistakes in training camp. Brian Daboll and the Giants’ coaching staff will be more interested in how Dart bounces back from them. The Giants traded up to select Dart in the first round and are very high on his ability. They plan to bring him along slowly, which Daboll seemed to reiterate again on Wednesday. Dart led the SEC with 4,279 passing yards last season. He threw 29 touchdown passes and is known for having a strong arm, but throwing windows get significantly tighter in the NFL. Dart will learn that as he gains more experience.
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