Unfortunate Ben Brown surgery revelation comes with hope for 2027 season
The Chicago Cubs received concerning news regarding one of their young pitching options, as Ben Brown is expected to undergo surgery to address a recurring neck injury.
Key points
- This is the news many of us were expecting, reported by Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic: Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown underwent successful cervical spine surgery Monday, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
- Brown is expected to start a throwing progression in the new year, and the hope is he will be ready for game action during the first half of the 2027 season.
- Related: Cubs get Ben Brown update amid neck injury concern Related: Cubs rumors: Japanese stud with 1.48 ERA last season is pitcher to watch in free agency.
The setback threatens his availability for the start of the 2027 season, but the organization remains optimistic that he will return to the mound next year.
Additional details
- The surgery was a proactive procedure involving Brown’s C5 vertebra, done with the belief that it would speed up healing in the area.
- Brown had a neck issue in 2024 that apparently was mis-diagnosed, and it recurred last summer and finally the team got a proper diagnosis: When the issue recurred in 2026, the original diagnosis of a stress reaction in his neck was confirmed.
- After a rough outing in relief on Opening Day against the Nationals, when Jacob Young hit the very first 2026 pitch thrown by Brown for a home run, Brown posted a 1.67 ERA and 0.928 WHIP and allowed just one more home run among 252 batters faced, and struck out 62.
- Based on this report, Brown could be back early in 2027, and who knows?
- Surgery could delay his return early next season.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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