Ben Brown's Absence Looms Over Cubs Pitching Staff

The achilles heel of the 2024 Chicago Cubs has been injury after injury, and that bug has struck again. This time it's Cubs starter/reliever, Ben Brown, heading to the 15-day IL with a left neck strain.

Ben Brown in his rookie season has been a major contributor to the Cubs success, and he will surely be missed during his period on the IL. In his rookie season, Brown is enjoying himself with an ERA of 3.58 to go along with 64 strikeout's, and a WHIP of 1.08.

Colten Brewer was reinstated of the 15-day IL where he will return to the Cubs bullpen. Brewer in seven appearances has an ERA of 3.09.

When Brown made his debut on the first Saturday of the season, it was not the ideal start to a major league career; but since then he has been nearly flawless. Bouncing around between a starter and a reliever, Brown has been one of the more valuable members of the 2024 Cubs. He has managed to give up one run or less in 10 of his 15 appearances this season.

If you remember, Brown's most memorable start of the season came against the Brewers where he went 7 no-hit innings, where he also struck out 10 batters. Needless to say, Brown's contributions have been crucial for a Cubs rotation that has dealt with injuries all-year long.

Where does this leave the Cubs rotation?

While Brown will be missed, the Cubs are lucky enough to have got reinforcements back from the IL this past weekend. Cubs left-hander, Jordan Wicks, recently came off the IL and will immediately fill in Brown's spot in the rotation. I think the initial plan was for Wicks to come out of the bullpen, but as we know with this entire Cubs season, plan's change quickly.

During Saturday's game against the Reds, Brown got the start, with Wicks immediately tailing after. Wicks went 3.1 innings pitched, sticking out two and only giving up one run.

Barring any injuries, when Brown is back, the Cubs pitching staff will be full strength. One would have to assume that once Brown is back, the plan will actually be reverse, with Wicks heading to a full time spot in the rotation, and Brown being back in the bullpen. Brown can still be huge out of the bullpen, and would join Hayden Wesneski as a pitcher who can give you multiple innings on any given night.

Nonetheless, Brown's will be missed during his time on the IL. It was extremely enjoyable to see how successful his rookie season had been going, and how much of an impact he was making to lead to wins for the Cubs. While it's disappointing, you can at least be a little relieved that the Cubs have options to fill his place while he is out.

Hopefully once he returns, the Cubs pitching staff will be 100% and ready to help make a run. As I said earlier though, the Cubs and being healthy, does not go together very well.