Cubs’ Ben Brown Has Setback With Neck Injury

The Cubs were hoping Ben Brown would factor into their pitching plans for the stretch run. That plan might be on hold after the righty experienced symptoms related to the neck injury that has cost him more than two months. Brown is headed back to Chicago to be examined by team doctors.

“Not sure yet what this means, but it’s going to slow it down in some way,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Brown has been sidelined since late June with what was described as a neck strain. Further testing revealed a stress reaction in the area. Brown was moved to the 60-day IL in early August. He also missed significant time in 2024 with a neck injury.

It’s a disappointing development for a Cubs squad suddenly struggling in the later innings. Jacob Webb coughed up a walk-off home run to Ryan Waldschmidt last night. He’s now blown back-to-back saves. Former closer Daniel Palencia melted down in the eighth inning ahead of Webb. Setup man Ryan Zeferjahn, acquired at the trade deadline, has a 6.43 ERA in eight appearances with the team.

Brown wasn’t necessarily going to step into the high-leverage mix when he returned, but he could’ve provided useful innings in a flexible role. The 26-year-old was a lockdown multi-inning option for the first month of the season. He then moved into the starting rotation and continued to pitch well. Brown delivered a 1.70 ERA in eight starts. He stretched out to a normal workload by the end of May, covering six-plus innings on multiple occasions before the neck issue popped up.

The Cubs have been crushed by injuries on the mound this season. The absences of Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera helped Brown get a look in the rotation. Justin Steele had a setback himself and will return as a reliever (if he comes back at all). The bullpen has missed Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton, Porter Hodge, and Riley Martin, among others, for large chunks of the season.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was active in the pitching market at the trade deadline. Zeferjahn was only one of multiple moves the club made to strengthen the unit. Chicago snagged two of the biggest starting pitchers available, landing Kevin Gausman in a deal with the Blue Jays and Clay Holmes in a swap with the Mets. The Cubs also acquired Braxton Garrett in a smaller deal with the Marlins.

The additions of Gausman and Holmes, plus an earlier move for David Peterson, have helped cover for another Cabrera injury. He went back on the IL last week with a recurrence of a blister issue.