Ben Brown Fantasy Stats

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown (neck) has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck, manager Craig Counsell told 104.3 The Score. "It's a very similar injury to 2024," Counsell said. Brown will be limited in his activity for the next month before the Cubs decide where to go from there. Back in 2024, Brown suffered a neck injury in early June and never pitched again that year, so this is obviously a very concerning diagnosis for the reliever-turned-starter. Injuries to their starting rotation have been a problem all year long, and Chicago's starting depth is very thin once again with Brown and Edward Cabrera (hamstring) landing on the injured list. In 20 appearances (eight starts) in 2026, the 26-year-old Brown has been excellent, going 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA (2.50 FIP), 0.94 WHIP, one save, 65 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 68 innings pitched. Fantasy managers planning on stashing Brown while he recovers need to prepare for a very lengthy absence.

In yet another blow to the Chicago Cubs starting rotation, the team placed right-hander Ben Brown (neck) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a neck strain, according to Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune. The Cubs also placed right-hander Edward Cabrera (hamstring) on the IL on Wednesday with a strained left-hamstring. Chicago's starting rotation has been plagued by injuries all year, but the good news is that they are getting left-hander Matthew Boyd (knee, shoulder) back for the series finale against the New York Mets on Thursday. It's a tough break for the Cubs and for Brown, who has been a popular waiver-wire pickup in 2026 after his successful transition from the bullpen to a starting role for the Cubs. In his 20 appearances (eight starts) through 68 innings, the 26-year-old has gone 4-2 with a stingy 1.85 ERA (2.50 FIP) and 0.94 WHIP with 65 strikeouts, 19 walks, and even one save in his third year in the big leagues. If you have the room in an IL spot, Brown has pitched well enough to stash in fantasy baseball leagues. He's currently rostered in 71% of Yahoo leagues.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown opened the 2026 campaign in the bullpen for the Cubbies, but he quickly was transitioned to a starting role given all of the team's injuries to their starters. In his first 12 games out of the bullpen in Chicago, Brown had a 2.10 ERA (2.67 FIP) with 24 strikeouts, eight walks, one save, and two holds. Since joining the starting rotation on May 8, the 26-year-old has a 1.44 ERA (1.89 FIP) with 34 strikeouts and eight walks in 31 1/3 innings pitched over six starts. Brown has gone 4-2 as a starter and was just two outs shy of his third straight quality start in his last appearance on June 6 against the San Francisco Giants, when he tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings with just one hit allowed, one walk, and five punchouts. The former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 is now 2-2 on the season with a 1.74 ERA (2.24 FIP) and 0.88 WHIP with 58 strikeouts and 16 walks in 57 innings over 18 outings (six starts). Even as Chicago's starting staff gets healthier, Brown has staked his claim to a rotation spot for the rest of the year. He's rostered in only 65% of Yahoo leagues and will get a rematch against the offensively challenged Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown has been excellent as both a reliever and starter so far in 2026 for the Cubbies, but he should be attracting more interest off the waiver wire from fantasy managers now that he's stretched out and pitching well. The 26-year-old is currently 2-2 with a 1.92 ERA (2.23 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with 53 strikeouts and 15 walks in 51 2/3 innings pitched across 17 appearances (five starts). He even has one save for good measure as a reliever. Since moving to a starting role on the North side in Chicago, Brown has become even more attractive in fantasy, allowing only five earned runs on 15 hits while walking seven and fanning 29 over 26 innings of work. Most recently, he went a season-high seven innings and gave up just one earned run with a walk and six K's for his second win of the season against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals on May 30. Brown has had quality starts in each of his last two times out and continues to gain steam in what is shaping up as a breakout campaign. The best part is that he's available in just over 40% of Yahoo leagues, too. Grab him and start him this weekend against the San Francisco Giants.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown is in the midst of a breakout campaign and is quickly becoming a top waiver wire option. The right-hander is coming off his best start of the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Brown tossed six innings, allowing one earned run while striking out seven batters. Overall, Brown owns a 2.01 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 47:14 K:BB ratio across 16 appearances (four starts) with the Cubs this season. Brown started the season in a multi-inning role in the bullpen, but was moved into the starting rotation due to injuries. The Cubs are currently without a handful of starting pitchers, so they need Brown to stay in the rotation for now. Fantasy managers seeking pitching help should consider adding Brown while he's in this hot stretch. There's a chance he heads back to the bullpen eventually, but he's worth an add right now.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown has already been trending up in his transition to a starting role in Chicago, and he should be even more attractive in Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season while scheduled for a two-start week versus the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. The 26-year-old has slowly been building up his pitch count in a starting role after opening the 2026 season as a reliever for the Cubbies. In his last outing on May 19 in a loss to the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers, Brown allowed three earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six in five innings of work. He has thrown at least four innings in each of his first three starts, dating back to May 8, and he's racked up 13 strikeouts in his last two appearances. Neither the Pirates nor the Cardinals are exactly excellent matchups for Brown as far as being a streamer, but he becomes more valuable in weekly formats because he's slated to start twice. Despite taking his first loss his last time out, Brown holds a strong 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 40:12 K:BB in 38 2/3 innings this year, and he's only rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

After opening the season in a bulk relief role, Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown was moved into the starting rotation on May 8. The 26-year-old has impressed since the role shift, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 over eight innings of work (two starts). Brown's year-long numbers are excellent as well, as he's pitched to a 1.60 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 34 strikeouts across 33 2/3 innings (14 games). Brown's 0.27 HR/9 is a significant improvement from the 1.52 HR/9 he posted in 2025, so he could be in line for some ERA regression as the weather heats up in Chicago and the ball starts to fly at Wrigley Field. Still, the hard-throwing right-hander owns a career MLB strikeout rate of 26.6% and appears to be finding his groove as a big-league pitcher. Now that he's back in the Cubs rotation, Brown offers some upside as a waiver-wire target for fantasy managers.

The Chicago Cubs have rewarded right-hander Ben Brown with another start, which will come on Thursday at Truist Park against the first-place Atlanta Braves and veteran lefty Chris Sale, per MLB.com. Brown, who is filling in for Chicago's banged-up starting rotation, earned a second start after tossing four shutout innings with no hits allowed, one walk, and three strikeouts in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers last Friday. On the year, the 26-year-old former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 has been excellent for the Cubbies, recording a 1.82 ERA (2.65 FIP), 0.91 WHIP, one save, 27 strikeouts, and nine walks in 29 2/3 frames across 13 appearances (one start). Because Brown could stick around for the long term in Chicago's rotation, he's certainly worth a look off the waiver wire -- he's rostered in just 9% of Yahoo leagues. However, we wouldn't recommend starting him this week against a Braves team with the best OPS (.784) in the big leagues.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown is scheduled to make the start against the Texas Rangers on Friday, according to Taylor McGregor. Given all the injuries to this pitching staff, Brown will need to move from his bullpen role and into the rotation. Brown has been excellent with a 2.10 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 24/8 K/BB ratio across 12 appearances in the bullpen this season. He has been fantastic in a multi-inning role, but the Cubs need him to step up into the rotation now. The right-hander has already pitched twice this week, so it seems unlikely that he'll pitch deep into Friday's game. He'll likely pitch a few innings, but probably won't stay in the game long enough to warrant looking at him as a streaming option.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Ben Brown is likely going to be the next man up for saves in Chicago. The Cubs are already without multiple key arms in the bullpen, and likely lost another on Thursday. Southpaw Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) was forced to make an early exit from Thursday's win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The team is calling it left hamstring tightness, so it's unclear if Thielbar will require a trip to the Injured List. Given all the injuries, Brown is likely going to be the next man up, assuming Thielbar misses time. Fantasy managers looking for a source of saves might want to consider adding Brown. The right-hander only has one career save, but certainly has the stuff on the mound to succeed as a closer.