Cubs quietly offer Ben Brown update that could change postseason pitching plans

There's two unknowns when mapping out what the Chicago Cubs' pitching staff could look like during the postseason. Justin Steele and Ben Brown have the potential to be difference makers on the Cubs' pitching staff down the stretch, but neither should viewed as an expectation.

Steele remains in the ramp-up portion of his recovery, considering a flexor strain previously delayed his return. By the end of August, it would seem there's a chance that Steele has started a minor-league rehab assignment. Even then, Steele's potential return would likely be closer to the start of October instead of the first week or two of September.

As for Brown, the expectation from the Cubs has always been that he will pitch again for the team this season. In recent weeks, Brown had resumed his throwing program, but only through the scope of the Cubs making sure he was stacking days of being asymptomatic. It would seem that Brown has progressed to the next level as the 26-year-old through a bullpen session at Wrigley Field on Friday.

Ben Brown could be a part of wealth of bullpen options for the Cubs in October

Brown last pitched for the Cubs on June 19 before landing on the IL with a stress reaction in his neck. It was a similar injury to the one that ended his season early in 2024, and part of the efforts of his recovery this time around was to identify a change in his mechanics that would allow him to pitch while limiting the chances of this injury returning.

The Cubs haven't quite specified what changes, if any, Brown has made but the fact that he has progressed to throwing bullpen is a sign that he's headed in the right direction. Given where the Cubs are in their season, and the reality that Edward Cabrera's return this weekend already gives the Cubs a six-man rotation, Brown will likely be returning to a bullpen role once he's good to go.

It's a good problem for the Cubs to have, considering their biggest weakness last October was not having enough effective options to round out the pitching staff. That shouldn't be the case this time around. Beyond the potential returns of Brown and Steele, the Cubs could also have Hunter Harvey and Shelby Miller back in time for the postseason. Not to mention, multiple starters who will likely be pitching out of the bullpen come October. This is the type of depth that Jed Hoyer and Co. have been striving for since the end of last season.

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