Chicago Cubs Demote Hard-Throwing Starter

The Chicago Cubs bullpen received some reinforcements yesterday when it was announced that Porter Hodge was coming off the injured list. Hodge had missed over a month with an oblique injury, and his return comes at a crucial time for Chicago. They have dropped the first two games of their four-game set with their arch-rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. Hodge’s return came at a cost, though. Ben Brown was optioned to AAA Iowa to make room on the active roster.

Brown has struggled so far this year as a starter and his demotion comes as Shota Imanaga is due to come back and rejoin the starting rotation for tomorrow’s series finale. The 25-year-old hard-thrower was in his first full season as a starter but after his lack of success so far, he may need to revert to being a bullpen arm if he wants to have a future in the big leagues and help this Chicago Cubs team in 2025.

Chicago Cubs Send Ben Brown Down

The Chicago Cubs have gotten themselves into a rut as of late. They have lost five of their last six games and have seen their lead in the NL Central cut in half in the last week. As they gear up for the final two games of their road series against the St. Louis Cardinals they are expected to be getting some key contributors back. Shota Imanaga is expected to make his return to the mound Thursday and Hodge is back in the bullpen as of today. Hodge’s return came at a cost, though. One of the Chicago Cubs’ youngest pitchers has been sent down to AAA where he’ll try to retool for the future.

Brown was optioned to AAA Iowa to make room on the active MLB roster for Hodge. The 25-year-old hard-throwing right-hander has struggled so far in his first full season as a member of the starting rotation this year. In 16 starts, Brown is 4-6 with a 6.13 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 79.1 innings of work. He has been susceptible to the big inning and has one of the highest first-inning ERA’s of all qualified pitchers.

The hope was that Brown could ascend to become a key member of the Chicago Cubs starting rotation in 2025, but after the struggles of the first half, Jed Hoyer and the front office decided to change course and send Brown back to the minors for a reset.

Brown’s future is up in the air now. With the trade deadline coming up he could be a chip for the Cubs to throw into a deal. He could make a return to the starting rotation if injuries or poor performance by other starters dictate that. His most likely path forward to get back to the majors is as a bullpen arm.

Final Thoughts

The Chicago Cubs needed to make this move. I had been clamoring for this for months. I understood keeping Brown in the starting rotation early in the season because of the slew of injuries and lack of pitching depth on the roster. But as proven veterans emerged out of the bullpen like Drew Pomeranz, Chris Flexen, and Brad Keller, who had experience as starters, there was no reason to keep Brown in the rotation.

Not only did it hurt the ball club to have Brown out there every fifth day, but it hurt his confidence and could set him back from becoming what I believe he could ultimately be. A high-leverage bullpen arm.

Brown’s pitching profile screams reliever. He’s got two high-quality pitches and mixes in a third every once in a while. He gives up huge innings if he’s left in the game too long. Hopefully, he can recoup some of his confidence and maybe even get a bump in velocity at AAA before returning to the Chicago Cubs. However, it is entirely possible with the trade deadline coming up and Javier Assad nearing a return to the pitching staff that Brown has thrown his final pitch as a member of the Chicago Cubs.