MLB
Ben Brown, a rookie pitcher, has been shut down by the Chicago Cubs “for the time being,” manager Craig Counsell announced to the media on Monday after the team, including the Chicago Sun-Times.
Brown was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 26 in order to create space for catcher Christian Bethancourt. Brown was called up early in the season when star Justin Steele went down after Opening Day.
The Cubs were getting ready to play the Cleveland Guardians on Monday. The Cubs are one game below.500 and competing for the last Wild Card playoff spot in the National League.
Brown had a strained neck. Counsell stated that there is no set timeline for him to resume pitching, but Chicago prefers that the right-hander remain “symptom-free” before to his return to the field.
The Cubs just intend to give Brown respite for the time being.
Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both ranked the 24-year-old as one of their best prospects at one point. He has made 15 appearances since being called up, going 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA in eight starts and seven relief outings. After 55.1 innings, he’s got 19 walks and 64 strikeouts.
When he last pitched, it was on June 8 against the Cincinnati Reds. In a loss, he pitched four innings and allowed three earned runs. He walked one and struck out three. Before he was placed on the injured list, he had lost his previous two decisions.
Chicago had been stepping up Brown prior to this. June saw him pick up his throwing again, and on July 19 he started throwing more intensely. At the end of July, he travelled to Arizona and threw one more bullpen.
At that point, Counsell noted that before he could be considered for activation, he needed to throw to hitters and complete a rehab assignment. At least two weeks would pass during that process.
Brown, a 2017 graduate of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, New York, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 33rd round. In August of 2022, the Cubs acquired him by trading reliever David Robertson to the Phillies.
Following that, Brown worked his way through the minor league system of Chicago, pitching for Tennessee in 2022 and 2023 before being promoted to Triple-A Iowa following four starts with the Smokies in the previous season.
Brown’s performance with Iowa, where he appeared in 22 games (15 of which were starts), went 6-8 with a 5.33 ERA, cemented his reputation as a prospect to watch. In 72.2 innings, he walked 51 and struck out 100.
