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Cubs right-hander Ben Brown was placed on the injured list with a neck strain last week, but the team has now diagnosed him with a more ominous-sounding stress reaction in his neck, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (X link). Brown’s expected to be out longer than the 15-day minimum on his current IL stint, though a firm timetable isn’t yet known.
“We’re still trying to figure out how long and what it means and what he can do,” manager Craig Counsell told the Cubs' beat regarding Brown’s updated diagnosis. “It’s a unique injury for a pitcher, so we’re trying to just get some more opinions.”
Acquired from the Phillies in the 2022 trade sending David Robertson to Philadelphia, the now-24-year-old Brown made his big league debut this season. He’s been quite good in 15 appearances with the Cubs — eight starts. In 55 1/3 frames, Brown has pitched to a 3.58 ERA with a terrific 28.8% strikeout rate, a solid 8.6% walk rate and a 38.9% grounder rate. Brown has only yielded 0.81 homers per nine frames. He’d recently stepped into a consistent rotation role — his last four outings were starts — and posted a 3.60 ERA with a 25-to-6 K/BB ratio in 20 innings.
Brown’s injury dovetails with the return of fellow rookie Jordan Wicks, who was out for six weeks due to a forearm strain. Also 24 years old, the left-handed Wicks came on in long relief of Brown when Brown exited after four innings. He tossed 3 1/3 frames that day and held the Reds to one run in that time. With Brown on the shelf, Wicks seems likely to step into the No. 5 spot in the rotation behind Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad.
Wicks made seven starts last season and barely kept his rookie eligibility intact. He’s up to 61 innings in his big league career (26 1/3 of them this year) and owns a 4.43 ERA with a 20.1% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 43.3% ground-ball rate. Wicks tossed 126 innings last season and, after missing six weeks of the current year, shouldn’t worry about soaring past that workload. But given his injury earlier this season and some questionable depth in the rotation — particularly in light of veteran Kyle Hendricks’ struggles — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cubs look into some rotation help at next month’s deadline, assuming the team is still in contention for a wild-card spot. Chicago is 7.5 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central but just one game out in the NL wild-card chase.
More must-reads:
- The best minor leaguers never to enjoy MLB success
- Cubs avoid elimination, but their big bet is still in danger of being wasted
- The 'MLB Rookies of the Year' quiz
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Braves Make Next Major Shakeup to Staff
The Atlanta Braves have reportedly made their latest change to the staff. They have parted ways with the director of pitching development, Paul Davis, per source. A previous position that he held, before his time with the Braves, was the pitching coach of the Seattle Mariners, and he spent five years with the St. Louis Cardinals organization before that. Davis is known for his unsual path to being on a big-league staff. He never played beyond college baseball, and his coaching job with the Mariners was his first in the professional ranks. This move comes as somewhat of a surprise, given the young pitching prospects the Braves have been developing. Over the last few years, pitchers such as Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep have come through the system. He was known for his analytical approach, which included his well-regarded use of video and technology. When players arrived to the Braves system, he said in an interview back in August that his goal was to develop pitchers into champions, not just Major Leaguers. Some other rising prospects, such as JR Ritchie, can be credited as the product of his tenure. Ritchie is now a top-100 prospect. Smith-Shawver has previously been in the top 100. As of now, this is the only known move the Braves have made apart from promoting Brian Snitker to senior adviser following his retirement as manager. Coaches under Snitker still hold their positions. However, they have reportedly been granted permission to interview for other jobs. More changes are expected to come because of this permission to seek other positions with other teams. Some changes could come after years with the organization, such as pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bench coach Walt Weiss, if they were to leave, while others, such as Tim Hyers, would come after just one season, if he were to part ways. According to recent reports, the Braves have not begun to request interviews from other teams. From a managerial standpoint, only one speculative option is off the board. The Rangers promoted Skip Schumaker from senior adviser to manager. All teams with open positions, except for the Braves, inquired about Schumaker. More From Atlanta Braves on SI
North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Lions appear 'destined' to make huge Aidan Hutchinson move
Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson is once again a key contributor for the Detroit Lions, coming off the devastating injury he suffered last fall. For a piece published on Wednesday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler suggested that the Lions could soon lock Hutchinson down beyond the ongoing campaign after the club picked up the 25-year-old's fifth-year option for 2026 this past offseason. Lions, Aidan Hutchinson have had "exploratory" contract talks "Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson looks destined for a new deal," Fowler shared. "Both sides have had exploratory discussions about an extension, for which Hutchinson is eligible as a fourth-year pro." Back in July, Fowler noted that Hutchinson was leading the NFL in sacks (7.5), pressures and win rate last season before he went down with gruesome fractures of his tibia and fibula in October 2024. According to Pro Football Reference, Hutchinson enters Week 6 of the 2025 campaign tied for third in the league with five sacks and second with three forced fumbles. How much could Aidan Hutchinson make via extension? "Top pass-rushers now make quarterback money, punctuated by Micah Parsons' four-year, $188M deal with Green Bay," Fowler continued. "While I'm not sure Hutchinson tops that number, he'll be among the highest paid at his position whenever this deal gets done. ...Detroit has shown an eagerness to extend its marquee players, and there's none bigger than Hutchinson." Before Parsons put pen to paper on his deal, Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders received a three-year, $106.5M extension during the offseason. Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns later signed a four-year, $160M deal that included $123.5M guaranteed. During the summer, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff are a few examples of Lions players who have received extensions from the club over the past couple of years. That said, both Detroit and Hutchinson may have reasons to drag contract talks out. Hutchinson could increase the value of his deal if he keeps playing well through January (or February). Meanwhile, everybody involved received a harsh reminder roughly 12 months ago that one play can drastically alter or even threaten a player's career. For now, Hutchinson and the 4-1 Lions will focus on preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3). As of Wednesday, ESPN BET had Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
Packers could see breakout star emerge on defense in weeks ahead
The Green Bay Packers’ secondary got lit up by Dak Prescott in a 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys before heading off to the bye week, but help could be on the way. Through the season’s first five weeks, the Packers rank 11th against the pass, but they allowed 319 passing yards and three touchdowns to Prescott in their final game before the bye week. Help, though, could be on the way. Could Nate Hobbs elevate Packers’ secondary? With a showdown against the likes of wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Sunday afternoon, a breakout star could be about to emerge. Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website suggests that cornerback Nate Hobbs getting healthier could be a major asset for coordinator Jeff Hafley and Green Bay’s defense moving forward. “Nate Hobbs,” Spofford writes, when asked the player he’s most looking forward to see the rest of the season. “He’s getting further removed from his knee procedure during training camp, and he’s also back on the practice field after leaving the Dallas game to be evaluated for a concussion. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hobbs yet in this defense.” Hobbs has appeared in three games for the Packers this season, posting 10 total tackles, one pass breakup and one tackle for loss. Given that the 26-year-old had the added time during the bye week to get further away from the injury he suffered during the summer, he could be a player whose best football this season is still in front of him. That would be huge for a defense looking for consistent playmakers to step up.
Bijan Robinson has a simple message for Texas QB Arch Manning
Bijan Robinson was a tremendous running back for the Texas Longhorns during his time in college football. Now with the Atlanta Falcons and known as one of the most exciting young players in the NFL, Robinson was an All-American and a Heisman Trophy candidate for the Longhorns. He's uniquely qualified to talk about Texas football, and there is a lot to talk about right now. The big storyline surrounding the program is Arch Manning and his struggles in 2025. Those struggles were highlighted by Texas' loss to Florida, which saw him complete just 16 of 29 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was just the second multi-interception game of Manning's college career, and he has now thrown at least one interception in all but one game this season. Bijan Robinson tells Arch Manning and Texas Longhorns to focus Perhaps that's why Robinson is telling him to tune everything out. There's been a ton of noise and hype surrounding Manning ever since he emerged on the recruiting trail out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Noise and hype can be good, but things are tough right now, which is why Manning needs to focus. “Continue to stay consistent,” was Robinson's message to Manning via "The Rich Eisen Show" (h/t On3). “Stay consistent as much as possible. Don’t listen to the media because the media will either steer you in the right direction or it will tarnish you for your career. So, for him, always know that everyone has his back in that building. Coach (Sarkisian) and the team have his back. Everybody around him has his back. It’s not just him, it’s the whole team. The whole offense needs to come together, especially this week playing against Oklahoma." This is a big moment for Manning, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. If they bounce back against No. 6 Oklahoma this weekend in the Red River Rivalry, there's a slim chance they can still make a case for the College Football Playoff. At the very least, they'd be able to get the taste of the bad loss to Florida out of their mouths. A win could put the Longhorns back in the CFP conversation, though, especially if they go on to beat ranked teams like Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A M later on in the season. However, a loss would all but end Texas' CFP cause. Focus will be key for the Longhorns. As Robinson puts it, they've got to tune out the outside noise, put their heads down and focus only on trying to beat the Sooners. “This is going to be a really big game for, not just Texas and the program, but the individual players," Robinson said. "These are big games for them. They’ve got to hone in, become player-led and become who they’re going to become this week. So, my advice to them is to just put their head down, stay out of the outside noise and just go on that field on Saturday and show everybody what they can do.”
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