Latest On Ben Brown

The health of Cubs right-hander Ben Brown is still up in the air. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports that Brown, who battled a neck injury in 2026, still hasn’t been cleared to throw and a future surgery still hasn’t been ruled out. It’s a frustrating situation for Brown, who appeared to be breaking out this year. He started 2026 in the bullpen but pitched well enough to get a rotation spot by early May. He made his eighth start of the year on June 19. After that, he had thrown 68 innings on the season across those eight starts and his 12 relief appearances. He allowed just 1.88 earned runs per nine. Brown got a bit of help, as his .243 batting average on balls in play and 79.1% strand rate were both to the fortunate side. But his 24.5% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate were all better than league average. ERA estimators like his 2.50 FIP and 3.55 SIERA suggest he would have fared well even with more neutral favor from the baseball gods. That breakout season was interrupted by the aforementioned neck problems. Brown was placed on the IL June 24, retroactive to June 21, with what was initially described as a neck strain. A few days later, manager Craig Counsell added more info, revealing that Brown had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck. Brown tried ramping up a throwing program in August but experienced a recurrence of symptoms and never made it back to the club. Ideally, Brown would be able to use the offseason to get healthy for the 2027 campaign but it sounds like that won’t necessarily be the case. He and the Cubs are apparently still searching for answers, a process that could be complicated by the upcoming lockout. The current collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association expires at 11:59 pm Eastern on December 1. The two sides are negotiating a new deal but don’t appear close to getting anything done, as the league continues to push for a salary cap and floor system, a framework the players oppose. It is widely expected that no deal will be reached by December 2 and the league will lock out the players at that time. In a lockout, players are not allowed to communicate with team personnel. That includes trainers and other medical support staff. That makes things awkward for any player recovering from an injury this winter. In Brown’s case, that might be particularly tricky. He and the club might be pressured to make a decision about surgery before the lockout. Otherwise, he may be on his own through the winter. Even if he does go under the knife in the next few weeks, he would have to fly solo on his rehab, perhaps for several months. The 2021-22 lockout wasn’t resolved until March 10. It’s unknown if the next lockout will be longer or shorter. The ongoing uncertainty with Brown only adds to rotation need for the Cubs. The rotation group they had at the end of the 2026 was entirely lost to free agency, and even some depth as well. Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Colin Rea are all now on the open market. There are plenty of questions with the guys who are still on the roster. Justin Steele hasn’t pitched since April of 2025 because of elbow surgery. Edward Cabrera missed time with various injuries in 2026, getting bumped to the bullpen and finishing the year with a 5.96 ERA. Javier Assad has had some decent results but without a lot of strikeouts. Injuries and command issues have prevented Braxton Garrett from getting a lengthy run in the big leagues since 2023. Cade Horton had Tommy John surgery earlier this year and will still be recovering into next summer. Jaxon Wiggins and other prospects are knocking on the door but aren’t established yet. It’s no secret that the Cubs will be looking to add multiple arms into the mix this offseason. That could happen via free agency but it doesn’t seem the Cubs will make a strong run at the top of the market by pursuing Tarik Skubal. Free agency also features Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta and plenty of others. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cubs tried to re-sign any of their departing free agents. The trade market could feature Reid Detmers, Emerson Hancock and plenty of others. Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images