Ben Brown, the Chicago Cubs right-hander, posted a 1.85 ERA and a team-best 2.0 fWAR in 2026, then lost the final three months to a neck issue that has now required spine surgery. His absence adds another setback for a rotation already short on healthy arms, and he edged left-hander Shota Imanaga’s 1.8 fWAR even though Imanaga threw 105 more innings. That production explains why every health update on Brown moves the needle in Chicago.
In an interview with MLB analyst Elise Menaker at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins explained, “Feels like every time we really get in a groove with him there’s a setback, so we’re likely to move forward with the surgical option for him to really try and make sure we nip this in the bud and have him back to full strength, so that’s a process that’s going on right now. We’ll update that when we get more information, but expect him to pitch for us next year.”
Brown underwent that surgery on Monday in New York. The frustration goes back to 2024, when doctors struggled to diagnose the neck issue, and it was later mislabeled an osteoma. When it recurred, he landed on the injured list in June, and doctors confirmed it as a stress reaction at the C5 vertebra.
Brown tried to work his way back, but his neck symptoms flared up during a two-inning bridge game, a simulated rehab outing, at the Cubs’ spring training complex in Mesa, Arizona, in late August. The team shut him down for the rest of the year.
The surgery reportedly involved inserting a screw to stabilize the stress fracture. There is a definite reason for the update to carry real concern.
Hawkins acknowledged that operating on the spine carries more risk than a typical pitcher procedure, despite being confident that Brown will pitch in 2027.
Other players have returned from spine procedures, and one case offers a rough comparison.
Ryan Kalish, then a Boston Red Sox outfielder, underwent cervical fusion in August 2013 to address chronic neck and disc problems. Surgeons removed the compromised disc, replaced it with a bone graft, and secured the vertebrae with a metal plate.
He returned to baseball within six months, though the Red Sox non-tendered him in December 2013 to avoid arbitration, which made him a free agent.
Kalish later spent comeback years with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, hitting .251 with eight homers in 87 games in 2014 and .368 in 21 games in 2016.
Kalish’s six-month return suggests that Brown could pitch by mid-2027, though his pitcher role carries different demands than outfield.
Brown’s timeline looks comparable, as he should start a throwing progression early in the new year, with game action targeted for the first half of 2027. Chicago opens the season without him, and he must rebuild arm strength before reclaiming a rotation spot.
His absence lands on a staff that was already short on healthy arms.
Left-hander Justin Steele has not pitched in the majors since 2025 because of elbow surgery, and right-hander Cade Horton had Tommy John surgery in April. Right-hander Edward Cabrera posted a 5.96 ERA across 15 starts while battling finger blisters and a hamstring strain.
Meanwhile, several starters hit free agency, including left-hander Matthew Boyd, right-hander Kevin Gausman, right-hander Clay Holmes, and Imanaga.
With so many rotation spots unsettled, the offseason plan now centers on pitching help.
Cubs weigh options to rebuild rotation depth
Chicago went 89-73, finished 14 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and then got swept by the San Diego Padres. That finish leaves little margin, and Hawkins has made the rotation the top offseason target.
“We’ve made no secret that we’re going to be looking for pitching this offseason,” Hawkins said Tuesday at the GM meetings.
The Cubs have been linked to top free-agent starters Michael King, Freddy Peralta, and Sonny Gray, along with fireballer Adrian Morejon and former closer David Bednar for the bullpen and depth.
“And I imagine it’s where a lot of our conversations on the trade front will be. We’re excited about improving both our depth and our quality in that space,” Hawkins added.
Hawkins pointed to the trade market, but the Cubs’ own free agents, led by Holmes, are worth a look first.
Holmes went 6-8 with a 3.29 ERA and a 60.8 percent groundball rate, which ranked in the 99th percentile, so he fits an elite defense. Chicago sent top prospect Jefferson Rojas to acquire him, and he stabilized the staff when injuries piled up. Re-signing him is one route, given the fit.
The rest of the market offers fewer sure things.
Gausman is expected to go back to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, while Imanaga, Boyd, and former Cubs starter David Peterson are also available.
With Steele and Horton uncertain and Brown unavailable to open the year, the Cubs cannot count on internal recovery alone. Adding both quality and depth is the only way to keep the rotation from unraveling again in 2027.