Ben Brown Fantasy Stats

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown will start Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network. Brown's last outing came on August 4 against the Cincinnati Reds, and he worked four innings while allowing two hits and one earned run with five strikeouts. In 19 games (15 starts) for the Cubs this season, Brown is 5-7 with a 6.04 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts. The 25-year-old is an intriguing waiver-wire option because of his 25.4% strikeout rate, but Brown is also a persistent threat to cause harm in the ERA and WHIP categories.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to call up right-hander Ben Brown from Triple-A Iowa on Monday before their series opener versus the Kansas City Royals, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. Brown could serve as Chicago's bulk reliever on Monday against KC after opener Ryan Brasier, who will likely only go one or two innings as the "opener." Jameson Taillon (calf) remains on the 15-day injured list for the Cubs, but it remains to be seen if the 25-year-old Brown will actually get any opening assignments before Taillon is back with the big-league squad. He was sent to the minors earlier this year after struggling to a 4-6 record, 6.13 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP, but he also had 91 strikeouts and 27 walks in 79 1/3 innings over his 16 outings (14 starts). For his strikeout upside alone, Brown might be worth a waiver pickup in NL-only formats.

The Chicago Cubs optioned right-hander Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and reinstated right-hander Porter Hodge (hip) from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Brown surrendered eight runs in his five innings of work in Monday's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and will now head to the minors to make room for the pending return of left-hander Shota Imanaga (hamstring) in Chicago's starting rotation. The 25-year-old former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 has intriguing strikeout upside (90 K's in 79 1/3 innings over his 16 outings this year), but he has been extremely inconsistent and hittable at times. Brown heads to the farm with a 4-6 record, 6.13 ERA (4.08 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP in his second big-league season. Hodge should eventually return to high-leverage setup role in front of closer Daniel Palencia, making him worth a look in holds leagues.

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Ben Brown is expected to serve as the bulk reliever during their contest on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. Drew Pomeranz is slated to open the game, but he is only expected to pitch one inning of work. Throughout the opening months of the season, Brown has been deployed primarily out of the rotation and has had mixed results. This afternoon, he will remain the primary option but will pitch out of the bullpen. Through 50 2/3 innings of work this season, Brown has held a 6.39 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP. Across this stint, Brown has struck out 64 batters and posted a solid 7.7% walk rate. However, he has generated a high 9.3% barrel rate with a hefty 45.7% hard-hit rate. This afternoon, Brown is best to fade in DFS given his inconsistent start to the season.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown will open the 2025 season as the team's fifth starter, according to The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma. Brown will be afforded a rotation spot to open the season after Javier Assad (oblique) was injured in spring training. The 25-year-old appeared in relief in the season opener in Tokyo, Japan, last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers and was hit with a loss after giving up three runs (two earned) over 2 2/3 innings. Brown didn't fare too well in spring training, either, posting a 6.75 ERA with 13 hits allowed (one homer), one walk and nine strikeouts in eight innings over three Cactus League outings (two starts). He held his own in his rookie season in 2024 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB in 15 outings (eight starts) before a neck injury cut his season short. There's some intriguing swing and miss to Brown's arsenal, particularly his knuckle-curve, making him worth a dart throw in deep-mixed leagues for depth.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown was the first arm out of the bullpen for manager Craig Counsell in the team's 4-1 loss against the Dodgers in Tokyo on Tuesday morning. While the young righty took the loss by giving up three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings, he also showed why the Cubs are high on him by striking out five, including getting Shohei Ohtani swinging to end the sixth inning with a runner in scoring position. The fact that Brown threw 65 pitches even with plenty of options available behind him in the bullpen seems to indicate that the Cubs plan on using him as their fifth starter to begin the season after placing Javier Assad (oblique) on the injured list.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown will continue to be stretched out as a starter in camp because the team knows he could be a big X-factor for their starting rotation, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney writes. It makes more sense for Brown to increase his workload in spring training and be available at the start of the year if the Cubs need another starter, rather than immediately turning him into a high-leverage reliever. It's always easier to move a pitcher to the bullpen later on than to try to ramp back up towards 100 pitches. If the 25-year-old is in a rotation spot for Chicago, the 6-foot-6 right-hander has plenty of fantasy upside with his swing-and-miss stuff, although the fact he still has a minor-league option remaining could make him the odd-man out. A neck injury limited him in 2024, but he also threw seven no-hit innings against the Brewers in May.

With Chicago Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) potentially opening the season on the injured list, right-hander Ben Brown is competing with Colin Rea and Jordan Wicks for the No. 5 starting rotation spot to open the 2025 campaign. Brown dealt with a nagging neck injury that ended his season early in 2024, but the injury is behind him now. "Very pleased with how Ben looks and feels. No restrictions. Go after it and see where we're at," manager Craig Counsell said. Over his final 53 2/3 innings, the 25-year-old had a 2.68 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. And of his 15 outings in 2024, eight were starts. If Brown makes the rotation, he'll have the best swing-and-miss stuff on the staff. Working against Brown, though, is the fact that he has minor-league options left, so the Cubs could opt to send him to Triple-A Iowa and keep him stretched out.

According to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Ben Brown (neck) could be deployed as a high-leverage reliever. Brown was sidelined since June of 2024 due to a neck injury but was cleared to have a normal throwing program during the offseason. However, given that the Cubs rotation has five stable options and recently brought in Colin Rea, Brown could be shifted to a relief role. Mooney and Sharma noted that Brown's fastball could take another step forward if he shifts to a relief role. However, the 25-year-old performed well as a starter during his rookie campaign and could make a case to earn the final spot in the rotation. Across 55 1/3 innings, Brown held a 3.58 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP. He struck out 28.8 percent of the batters he faced. If Brown were to shift to a high-leverage role, he could be a viable target in holds league as he would likely see time in the seventh or eighth innings alongside Porter Hodge.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown (neck) has been cleared for a normal offseason throwing program, according to a team source. Brown is one of the team's promising young pitchers, but unfortunately he didn't appear in a game after June 8 in his rookie season in 2024 due to an unusual neck injury. The 25-year-old had a 3.58 ERA in 55 1/3 innings for the Cubbies in a swing role and showed dominant tendencies at times as both a starter and reliever. It remains to be seen how the Cubs will choose to use him moving forward, but when healthy, Brown has the stuff to be fantasy relevant in all leagues. The most likely scenario is that the former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 will be given a chance to win an Opening Day rotation spot. If health issues resurface, though, a long-term relief role could be in the cards for Brown.