This is a sick, cruel joke. A day after Edward Cabrera suffered a leg injury, the Chicago Cubs placed a second starting pitcher on the injured list prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets. This one really sucks because, as inconsistent or bad as everyone else has been, Ben Brown has stepped up in a major way for the Cubs this year, beginning the season in the bullpen, and turning into the team’s best starting pitcher since he joined the rotation in May. Now, Brown will be sidelined because of a neck strain.
The Cubs announced a flurry of roster moves on Wednesday, placing Cabrera and Brown on the 15-day injured list. We already knew Cabrera was going to be knocked out of the rotation after he was carted off on Tuesday, but the Brown news was certainly a shock, and yet another punch to the face. The 26-year-old has recorded a 1.85 ERA in 20 games this season, which includes a 1.70 ERA with a 25.0 K% in eight starts.
Brown has not given up more than three runs in any of his appearances this year, and the Cubs, even in the middle of their horrid losing stretch, were winning with Brown on the mound. The Cubs won Brown’s last four starts and six of eight.
The latest setback in the rotation has forced the Cubs to bring back Matthew Boyd a day or two earlier than they would have liked. Boyd made a rehab start on Saturday, throwing 59 pitches for South Bend. Boyd will now start Thursday’s series finale against the Mets.
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If you count Justin Steele in the total, the Cubs now have six starting pitchers on the injured list at the same time, given that Boyd will return by tomorrow.
Justin Steele: 60-day IL (rehabbing from elbow surgery)
Cade Horton: 60-day IL (out for the season, Tommy John surgery)
Matthew Boyd: 15-day IL (rehabbing from knee surgery)
Jameson Taillon: 15-day IL (hamstring strain)
Edward Cabrera: 15-day IL (hamstring/adductor strain)
Ben Brown: 15-day IL (neck strain)
As things currently stand, Steele is not expected to start games this season if he does return at all. Horton is out for not only the rest of the 2026 season, but he might miss the first half of next year, too. Taillon will be out until after the All-Star break. The Cubs will know the severity of Cabrera’s injury after receiving MRI results, and now we’ll see how long it takes for Brown to recover from the neck strain. Brown last pitched on Friday in a 16-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Looking ahead, the Cubs only have four healthy starting pitchers on the active roster: Shōta Imanaga, Javier Assad, Matthew Boyd, and Colin Rea.
Veteran right-hander Vince Velasquez was called up from Triple-A on Wednesday. The 34-year-old has thrown 33.2 innings with the Iowa Cubs this season. Will he be tasked to cover starting innings in a bulk role? No one wants to see Jordan Wicks pitch again, so if the Cubs call up a starting pitcher, it would have to be a prospect who isn’t currently on the 40-man roster.
