PHOENIX – Potentially nearing the end of a monthslong rehab from a stress fracture in a vertebra in his neck, right-hander Ben Brown is once again trapped in the unknown.
The Cubs right-hander experienced symptoms in his neck at the end of a two-inning, 34-pitch appearance in a “bridge league” game Tuesday in Arizona, with those symptoms worsening as the day went on.
It’s forcing the Cubs to “regroup,” according to manager Craig Counsell, who said Brown will return to Chicago with the team and check in with doctors.
“Not sure yet what this means,” Counsell said Wednesday, “but it’s going to slow it down in some way.”
Brown, who excelled with a 1.70 ERA in eight starts before hitting the injured list in late June, appeared on track to return at some point next month as a bullpen arm, an intriguing possibility for a Cubs team eyeing a lengthy playoff run.
But this setback, which occurred during what was basically an organized scrimmage at the Cubs’ spring-training complex, raises the question of what, if anything, he’ll be able to contribute for the team this season.
“He’s felt so good. We’ve had no bad news,” Counsell said. “This is the first day of bad news.”
Brown’s injury turned out to be the same one that cost him much of his 2024 campaign, though the Cubs didn’t know that at the time, with the 26-year-old revealing in June that the diagnosis of a benign growth on a bone in his neck, an osteoma, had been “totally wrong” two years ago.
Brown viewed that clarity as a blessing in disguise and hoped the knowledge would allow him to find a way to pitch that would prevent this from being a recurring problem throughout his career.
But regardless of any work toward that long-term goal that might have taken place while Brown was on the injured list the last two months, the reemergence of symptoms on the doorstep of a possible minor league rehab stint has thrown a wrench into plans to get him back on the mound and help the Cubs in their quest for a World Series title this season.
Brown is one of numerous starters who could be in the running for relief roles in the playoffs, alongside the likes of righties Edward Cabrera, Javier Assad, Colin Rea and Aaron Civale.
The Cubs will have to wait to find out whether Brown can remain in that group of possibilities or not.
In the longer-term future, Brown figures to be a contender for a spot in what could be a very different-looking Cubs rotation next season.
The entirety of the at-this-moment starting staff – righties Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, plus lefties Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and David Peterson – could depart via free agency.
But Brown and other contenders – Cabrera, fellow righty Cade Horton and lefty Justin Steele – will be returning from injuries of varying significance.