Ben Brown's start against Rangers could change everything for the Cubs' season

With the number of injuries the Chicago Cubs have had to their pitching staff this season, the inevitable question was whether Craig Counsell eventually reached the point where Ben Brown had to be moved to the starting rotation. That moment has arrived ahead of the Cubs' game against the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

Tonight's game against the Rangers is the first time that Matthew Boyd's spot in the rotation is due up since the veteran starting pitcher landed on the IL with a meniscus injury. Boyd's surgery was a trimming of the meniscus, placing his return within the next six to eight weeks.

Regardless, considering Boyd will be sidelined, at the very least, for the next month, and Justin Steele's return was pushed back until at least after the All-Star break in July, the Cubs may be hoping the success that Brown has had out of the bullpen leads to success for him as a starting pitcher.

Cubs fans have been down this path many times before, but Brown in the rotation has always been a sense of hope. He's flashed elite swing-and-miss stuff over the early seasons of his career, but the lack of a varied pitch-mix often led to his demise in the rotation. It could be a trap, but there are reasons to believe this time could be different.

Mostly because Brown has included a sinker in his mix this season. With the new sinker, Brown is keeping balls on the ground instead of the air. His ground-ball rate is dripping red on his Baseball Savant page, and if he used that same approach as a starting pitcher, he's going to have success with the defense that is behind him.

Ben Brown could answer two important questions for the Cubs

If Brown has success in the starting rotation during Boyd's absence, he's going to answer two important questions for the Cubs moving forward.

The first is the impact it would have on the Cubs this season. In the past, Brown has flashed a ceiling that could trend toward being a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. That is why this is the right lever for Counsell to pull. If Brown lives closer to that potential, that lessens the urgency for the Cubs to seek an external upgrade before trade talks have started in earnest.

The second is the impact it could have on the Cubs beyond this season. Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon are all free agents next offseason. Cade Horton is going to miss a significant portion of the 2027 season. There's no telling which version of Steele the Cubs will get when he returns. If Brown can become an answer for the Cubs in the rotation, that is an important building block.

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