Brown allowed one run on two hits and struck out three without walking a batter over three innings to earn the save in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Angels.
Brown earned the first save of his major-league career, throwing 30 of 44 pitches for strikes in this outing. The right-hander probably won't be in the mix for more traditional save chances, as Daniel Palencia has thrived as the Cubs' closer this year. Brown has made his last three appearances out of the bullpen, though they've been spaced far enough apart that he is still ostensibly on a starter's schedule if he has to make a spot start at some point. Over 22 appearances (15 starts), Brown has a 5.82 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 111:30 K:BB through 102 innings this season.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Solid in relief Tuesday
Rotowire
Brown allowed one run on four hits and a walk across four innings of relief in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Brown was originally expected to start Tuesday's contest, but it was Javier Assad (oblique) who ended up with that honor in his season debut. Assad allowed four runs on eight hits in his four innings of work, with Brown looking sharper in long relief. Even with Brown turning in a good performance, his opportunity as a starter this year may have run its course, as Assad is now healthy and Jameson Taillon (calf) is expected back from the injured list soon. Brown will likely settle into a bullpen role with the Cubs getting healthier in their rotation.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: No longer starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Brown is no longer expected to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays after the Cubs activated Javier Assad (oblique) from the 60-day injured list, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Assad will take the bump and make his 2025 season debut after throwing 18.1 innings across five rehab starts. It's unclear if the Cubs will move Brown's turn back in the rotation or send him to the bullpen. Brown has struggled to a 6.04 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 104:27 K:BB across 92.1 innings of work this season.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Picking up start Tuesday
Rotowire
Brown is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays in Toronto, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Brown was moved to the bullpen after the Cubs acquired Michael Soroka ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, but Brown will temporarily move back into the rotation after Soroka strained his right shoulder in his team debut during last Monday's 3-2 loss to the Reds and landed on the injured list. In that same game, Brown came on in long relief and struck out five over four innings, so he should be stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload Tuesday. Brown may be in line for just one turn through the rotation, as Jameson Taillon (calf) and Javier Assad (oblique) are both in the midst of rehab assignments and could be ready to return from the IL the next time a fifth starter is needed.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Fills in admirably Monday
Rotowire
Brown allowed one run on two hits across four innings of relief in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Reds. He struck out five.
The newly acquired Michael Soroka made the start for the Cubs, but he only lasted two innings in his team debut before departing due to right shoulder discomfort. Brown was then thrust into action, and the young righty responded with one of his best performances over the past few months. Soroka had seemingly pushed Brown out of the rotation upon his arrival in Chicago, but it remains to be seen if the former has to miss any extended time. If he does, Brown and his 6.04 ERA could be back in a starting role at least temporarily, though the Cubs do also have Jameson Taillon (calf) likely returning from the injured list in the near future.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Looks to be out of rotation
Rotowire
Brown is no longer listed as the Cubs' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Orioles,Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
Brown was originally scheduled to make a second straight turn through the rotation this weekend, but the Cubs are now listing Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea as their three starters for the series versus Baltimore. The shakeup in the pitching schedule comes after the Cubs acquired another starter Wednesday in Michael Soroka, whose arrival presumably bumps Brown out of the rotation. It's unclear if Brown will stick on the 26-man active roster as a reliever, or if he will be optioned to Triple-A Iowa to continue to stay stretched out as a starter.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Picking up another start
Rotowire
Brown is listed as the Cubs' probable starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Orioles at Wrigley Field.
Brown will make his second straight turn through the Chicago rotation after he delivered an impressive start his last time out Sunday, when he earned a win while limiting the White Sox to one earned run on three hits and no walks over five innings. Though most of his underlying ratios suggest that he's pitched far better than the 6.22 ERA he's posted over 88.1 innings in the majors this season, Brown could find himself back in the bullpen or at Triple-A Iowa following Saturday's start, regardless of how he performs. The Cubs acquired Michael Soroka from the Nationals on Wednesday, and he's expected to replace Brown at the back end of the rotation.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Breezes to fifth win
Rotowire
Brown (5-7) earned the win Sunday against the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
The only blemish on Brown's short, 57-pitch outing was an Andrew Benintendi solo shot in the opening frame. Otherwise, the 25-year-old right-hander steamrolled through the Chicago lineup with his fastball touching 97.9 mph while averaging 96.2 mph (up slightly from his season mark of 95.8 mph). Brown now owns a 6.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 99:27 K:BB across 88.1 total frames. His future role with the big-league club is unknown as Jameson Taillon (calf) threw a 47-pitch bullpen session Friday and is slated for an early August return. If Brown sticks in the rotation, his next turn currently lines up to come against Baltimore at home next weekend.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Getting start Sunday
Rotowire
Brown will start Sunday's game versus the White Sox at Rate Field, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Brown returned from a nearly month-long stint in the minors July 21 and gave up seven runs (six earned) over four innings in long relief one day later against Kansas City. Despite that rough outing, the Cubs are giving the right-hander another opportunity to start, though it may not be a permanent move back into the rotation since Jameson Taillon (calf) is on track to return from the injured list in the first half of August. Brown has posted an impressive 10.3 K/9 across 83.1 innings spanning 17 appearances (14 starts) on the campaign, but the rest of his numbers have been mostly poor, including a 6.48 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 4-7 record.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Falters in long relief
Rotowire
Brown (4-7) took the loss against Kansas City on Monday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and no walks while striking out four batters over four innings.
After nearly a month in the minors, Brown was summoned back to the big club Monday to work in bulk relief behind opener Ryan Brasier. While Brown did manage to eat up four frames on 63 pitches, he wasn't very effective and was especially stung by the long ball -- he gave up a pair of homers to account for three of the runs against him. The right-hander has dazzled at times this season, including during a two-outing stretch in late May and early June during which he allowed two runs and posted a 16:2 K:BB over 13 frames, but that just makes his overall struggles more frustrating. Brown is at a 6.48 ERA and 1.54 WHIP across 83.1 innings on the season, and it remains to be seen how long he'll stick on the big-league roster after his latest poor appearance.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Back with big club
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Brown from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Brown is a candidate to eat up some innings in a bulk relief role Monday versus the Royals behind opening pitcher Ryan Brasier. He's posted a 6.13 ERA in 14 starts and two relief appearances with the Cubs this season, though he's racked up 91 strikeouts across his 79.1 frames.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Slated for call-up Monday
Rotowire
The Cubs are expected to recall Brown from Triple-A Iowa prior to Monday's game against the Royals, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Right-hander Ryan Brasier will open the game on the mound for Chicago, but he'll likely work just one or two innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Rogers speculates that Brown could be tasked with covering multiple frames behind Brasier, though Chris Flexen is also available to work in bulk relief after having not pitched since making a four-inning start versus the Yankees on July 11. The Cubs will have a permanent opening in the rotation until Jameson Taillon (calf) returns from the injured list, but the team could look to the trade market to fill the void ahead of the July 31 deadline rather than counting on Brown to reclaim a starting role. In 16 outings (14 starts) with the Cubs this season, Brown owns a 6.13 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 79.1 innings.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: May see smaller workload in minors
Rotowire
Brown could see his workload reduced a bit at Triple-A Iowa as the Cubs seek to keep him fresh for an eventual return to the majors, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Brown is slated to still start games for the Iowa Cubs, though he could face an innings limit or potentially see some work in long relief. The team also wants the young righty to keep developing his changeup and improve his control, as he walked 27 batters in 79.1 innings for Chicago before his demotion. Brown has the stuff to make an impact again in the majors this season, though fantasy managers will likely need to be patient.
The Cubs optioned Brown to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
The Cubs were going to need to clear a spot in the rotation for Shota Imanaga's (hamstring) return later this week, and Brown sealed his fate when he got rocked for eight runs over five innings in Monday's start versus the Cardinals. The righty has offered occasional flashes of brilliance, but they've come with rough patches as well, and Brown will carry a 6.13 ERA back to Iowa.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Serves up four homers in defeat
Rotowire
Brown (4-6) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out three batters over five innings.
Brown began his outing with three scoreless frames before serving up a two-run homer to Lars Nootbaar in the fourth. The right-handed hurler gave up two more long balls -- both of which were also two-run shots -- in the fifth, then served up another two-run blast before being pulled without retiring a batter in the sixth. Brown has struggled with consistency this season, giving up two or fewer runs in eight of his 16 outings but yielding five or more runs six times. Prior to Monday, long balls hadn't been a big problem for him, as he'd given up zero or one homer in 14 of his 15 appearances and had posted a respectable 1.1 HR/9, so his fantasy managers have reason to hope that the barrage of home runs against him Monday was an aberration. However, with Shota Imanaga (hamstring) rejoining the rotation Thursday, Brown or Colin Rea could be moved to a long-relief role or Brown could be optioned to Triple-A.
Brown (4-5) recorded the win Tuesday against the Brewers, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five.
The long ball remained an issue for Brown, who gave up at least one home run in his third consecutive start, but he was able to limit the damage despite surrendering four extra-base hits. It was the third time in the 25-year-old right-hander's last three starts that he threw at least five innings while allowing two runs or fewer, which has helped improve his ERA to 5.57 to go with a 1.48 WHIP and 88:25 K:BB across 74.1 innings for the season. Brown has still conceded at least five runs on five occasions in 2025, so he should be considered a volatile fantasy option this weekend in a challenging test versus the Mariners.
