MILWAUKEE -- There was never a clear explanation for the neck injury that cost Ben Brown the final three-plus months of his season two years ago. It was a perplexing setback that had the pitcher and the Cubs searching for answers without any firm conclusions.
Brown landed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to what has now been diagnosed a stress reaction in a bone within his neck. It is a similar situation to the one he went through during his rookie year with the Cubs in 2024, but the right-hander believes there is a clearer path forward with the information gathered this time.
“Same exact spot,” Brown said on Saturday. “Same bone. Same spot. A million times more clarity.”
Perhaps the biggest revelation that came out of the recent testing and imaging was that this is the answer the Cubs and Brown were seeking two years ago. Back then, the injury was eventually diagnosed as an osteoma (a benign bone growth), but Brown said Saturday that has since been revealed to be a “totally wrong” assessment.
The recurrence of the injury in the same spot (involving the C5 vertebra, per Brown) is an indication that the pitcher’s delivery is leading to the strain on that specific part of his neck. Taking a long-term view, Brown said he will need to identify why it is happening and what he can tweak with the goal of avoiding the same issue in the future.
In the short-term picture, Brown needs to let the bone heal for the next four to six weeks, while figuring out what he can do in the meantime to keep his arm moving. Returning this season is the goal and remains a possibility, but the right-hander said he is taking a wider view of the setback and what it means going forward.
“I’m optimistic. The team’s optimistic,” Brown said. “I think the biggest thing is just figuring out how to not let this happen again. Ultimately, the bone can heal and I can come back this year and it all can be great, and I can throw some really good innings and contribute to this awesome team, and we’re going to go a long way.
“But I want to pitch five years from now. What does that look like? And that’s the biggest focus right now, is what can we do practically to get on top of the curve here.”
The setback comes as the 26-year-old Brown has been in the middle of a breakout season for the North Siders.
Brown opened the season as a multi-inning reliever, but he moved into the rotation on May 8 as Chicago dealt with a wave of injuries. In 20 games overall, the righty has a 1.85 ERA in 68 innings. Since moving into a starting role, Brown has logged a 1.70 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 11 walks in 42 1/3 innings (eight starts).
“Obviously it’s frustrating in the midst of a season where I’m doing some really cool things,” Brown said. “But also, I can’t lose sight of how talented I am and how much I can contribute. And ultimately that’s the end goal -- to get back to that.”
Brown noted that he felt the neck issue begin to creep in across his past two or three outings, during which his pitch velocity did decrease. In his last outing on June 19 against the Blue Jays, his fastball velocities were down to 95 mph (sinker) and 94.7 mph (four-seamer), per Statcast. He was in the 96-97 mph range with both in late May.
Brown said he pitched through pain in 2024 when there were so many unknowns about what he was dealing with at the time. The pitcher called the recent flare-up a “blessing in disguise,” as it helped lead him and the team to answers they did not have two years ago.
“That’s where this differs from 2024,” Brown said. “We know exactly what the injury is. We know exactly how it needs to be handled. It’s still unique in a baseball perspective, but there’s a lot more direction and there’s a very clear plan. There’s no, ‘It could be this, it could be this, we’re going to try to push here.’ There’s none of that. It’s very clear, which is good.”
Milner latest to land on 15-day IL
Another day, another injury setback for the Cubs’ pitching staff.
Prior to Saturday’s game, lefty Hoby Milner (3.53 ERA in 38 games) was placed on the 15-day IL after requiring an emergency appendectomy that morning. Milner will likely miss four to six weeks while recovering, according to manager Craig Counsell.
“He woke up in the middle of the night and had major stomach pain,” Counsell said. “Everything is fine now. I’m not sure he had any signs of it. We’re fortunate he’s OK.”
With Milner out, the Cubs recalled righty Tyler Ferguson from Triple-A Iowa. Chicago also added righty Bryse Wilson (claimed off waivers from the Phillies) to the active roster and optioned righty Jayden Murray to Iowa.