Ben Brown's Neck Injury Could Change His Status In Cubs' Long-Term Plans

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The Chicago Cubs have spent much of this season searching for answers to their pitching problems. Injuries have forced Chicago to reshuffle its staff seemingly all year, and Ben Brown has been one of the more interesting examples of how much that situation has changed.

Brown began the season in the bullpen, moved into the rotation when the Cubs desperately needed innings, and was pitching well in both roles before a neck injury shut him down in late June. He appeared to be making progress toward a return before Chicago recently made the decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season. According to manager Craig Counsell, the decision was ultimately about giving Brown more time to heal.

“After consulting with doctors, it’s just more rest,” Counsell said. “There’s healing, but just not enough to allow the discomfort to go away. So, we just need to spend more time healing.”

It’s undoubtedly a disappointing development for Brown, especially considering he had been sidelined since June with what was described as a stress reaction in his neck and had been on track to return before the end of the season. But while his 2026 campaign is officially over, the bigger question now becomes what his future looks like in Chicago. The good news is that Brown absolutely still has one.

The Cubs may have spent much of this season dealing with injuries, but their pitching situation could look significantly different next year. Shota Imanaga and Kevin Gausman are both scheduled to reach free agency this offseason, potentially creating openings in the rotation. That could theoretically give Brown another opportunity to compete for a starting job when he returns. After all, he already proved this season that he can handle the role.

Brown opened the year as a multi-inning reliever, working in two-to-three-inning bursts roughly twice a week. His first 12 appearances all came out of the bullpen, and he was extremely effective, allowing just six earned runs across 25 2/3 innings. Eventually, though, injuries to Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton and Edward Cabrera forced the Cubs to get creative. Chicago needed starting pitching, and Brown had already shown that he could provide length. The Cubs moved him into the rotation, and he responded by allowing just eight earned runs over eight starts.

That stretch was important because it demonstrated that Brown isn't simply a reliever who occasionally provides multiple innings. He can start, he can handle a workload, and when healthy, he has shown flashes of being effective in either role. The problem is that staying healthy has become the biggest question. This isn't the first time Brown has dealt with an injury in his neck; a similar issue caused him to miss the final 96 games of the 2024 season. At some point, the Cubs have to start considering whether repeatedly asking Brown to prepare for and maintain a starter's workload is worth the risk.

That doesn't mean he can't return as a starter. Depending on what happens with Imanaga and Gausman this offseason, Chicago may not have the luxury of immediately placing Brown in the bullpen. The Cubs could have an opening, and his experience starting this season should at least put him in the conversation. But long-term, relief may simply be the better decision. Brown's stuff has always looked like it could play extremely well out of the bullpen. His four-seam fastball sits around 96 mph and features plenty of life, and there's reason to believe that velocity could tick even higher if he isn't being asked to conserve energy for five or six innings every five days. A fastball that regularly reaches 97 or 98 mph is a completely different weapon coming out of the bullpen.

His curveball is also capable of becoming a legitimate put-away pitch. Brown has leaned on his upper-80s knuckle curve throughout his career, and being able to attack hitters for an inning or two at a time could allow him to use both pitches more aggressively.

And notably, the numbers suggest that his stuff simply played better in relief. Brown's hard-hit rate was just 34.2% as a reliever this season, roughly 14 percentage points lower than his mark as a starter. His average exit velocity was also two miles per hour lower, while he generated ground balls at a significantly higher rate. It's difficult to look at that kind of difference and completely dismiss it as a coincidence.

Brown may have proven that he can make it as a big-league starter, but his profile appears to fit particularly well in a multi-inning relief role. The Cubs wouldn't necessarily need him to become a traditional one-inning reliever, either. His ability to provide two or three innings at a time would still give Counsell valuable flexibility. That may ultimately be where Brown's future becomes most interesting.

Chicago has seen firsthand how quickly pitching depth can disappear, and having a pitcher who can work multiple innings out of the bullpen while also being capable of stepping into the rotation in an emergency is an extremely valuable luxury. Brown doesn't have to be locked into one role forever. He could become the type of pitcher who gives the Cubs options depending on what their staff needs at any given time. Still, after another extended absence because of the same area of his body, prioritizing his health should come before trying to turn him into a full-time starter.

For now, though, none of that matters as much as getting him through this latest setback. The Cubs have made the right decision by shutting him down and allowing his neck more time to heal rather than rushing him back for a few appearances at the end of the season. Brown's future in Chicago hopefully won't be defined by this injury. He has shown too much ability for that. The question is how the Cubs can best maximize that talent moving forward. And while another opportunity in the rotation may be waiting for him next season, his long-term future may be much brighter coming out of the bullpen.