Well, this fucking sucks. For the second time in three seasons, right-handed pitcher Ben Brown will miss half the season with a neck injury. This time around, there was some optimism that Brown could return as recently as last week, when he was on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment in the minor leagues. However, as soon as Brown suffered a setback, the writing was on the wall for the Cubs.
On Thursday, the Cubs officially announced that Brown would miss the rest of the 2026 season with the same injury that cost him the second half of his rookie season in 2024 and the same ailment that has sidelined Brown since June this year.
A real bummer, as Brown transformed himself into an elite pitcher after getting some guidance from current Cubs starter Clay Holmes last offseason. After a disappointing 2025 campaign, Brown revamped his arsenal, became a ground ball pitcher, and was still able to keep up his strikeout rate while cutting down on the hard contact that crushed him all of last year.
Before the neck injury resurfaced in June, Brown was holding up the starting rotation, inserted after additional injuries in early May. Brown made eight starts and pitched in 20 games in 2026. He excelled in every role, whether it was as a high-leverage, one-inning reliever, multi-inning arm out of the bullpen, or as a starter.
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Overall in 2026, Brown had a 1.85 ERA with a 24.5 K% and 44.6% ground ball rate. A year after giving up 18 home runs in 106.1 innings, Brown only gave up two home runs in 68 innings.
So, there goes one potential answer to the Cubs’ bullpen woes as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. Brown would have immediately been one of the top options for Craig Counsell to utilize out of the bullpen, but now the Cubs will have to rely on the same guys who have been struggling.
(Previous Update)
As if this last road trip wasn’t bad enough for the Chicago Cubs, now we’ve gotten horrible news about rehabbing pitcher Ben Brown, who might be done for the rest of the 2026 season. The right-handed pitcher was on the verge of going out on an official rehab assignment in the minor leagues after completing his second session throwing to live batters at the Cubs’ spring training facilities in Arizona, but he unfortunately suffered a setback.
Brown, who has been sidelined since early June with the same type of neck issue that forced the pitcher to miss the second half of the 2024 season, felt symptoms following his throwing session earlier this week and will now have to wait to see what team doctors have to say after going back to Chicago to be reevaluated.
Via Meghan Montemurro.
Not great news for Ben Brown & Cubs: Brown (stress reaction in neck) became symptomatic at end of his live BP yesterday and they worsened as day progressed. It’s same issue as before. He’ll travel back with Cubs & be evaluated. Counsell: “It’s gonna slow it down in some way.”
The dreams of having Brown return down the stretch and potentially work back up to giving the Cubs starter innings have been crushed by this devastating update. Even if it isn’t a full-on shutdown situation, time is simply not Brown’s friend, as the Cubs only have 4.5 weeks left before the start of the postseason and 28 games remaining in the regular season. If the Cubs have to sit Brown for any period of time to let the bone heal in his neck, then he’d really be pushing it trying to ramp back up while also trying to avoid further injury.
After already going through this in 2024, the Cubs were being even more cautious with Brown this time around, avoiding getting him on the mound sooner until he was completely pain-free. All signs pointed to Brown being able to come back in September and helping out any way he could heading into the playoffs, but that now seems like a long shot.
Prior to the injury, Brown was leading the Cubs’ rotation after being called into action in May, when Matthew Boyd suffered a freak knee injury that sidelined him for more than a month. Brown was excellent in eight starts, posting a 1.70 ERA, 25.0 K%, 0.90 WHIP, and only allowing one home run in 42.1 innings, while keeping opponents to a .179 batting average.
Brown’s big jump in 2026 made him a potential ace for the Cubs in the playoffs, so seeing this setback certainly kills the vibes of having a big boost down the stretch. Now, someone else will have to step up to be a difference-maker in October.
Overall, Brown recorded a 1.85 ERA in 20 games between his time in the bullpen and eight starts.
