Cubs’ Brown undergoes neck surgery, return expected next season
LAS VEGAS — The Cubs already faced a monumental task this offseason to build out a rotation that was marred by injuries this year and has lost multiple starters to free agency.
Now the Cubs have been hit with more uncertainty surrounding another pitcher they were hoping to count on in 2027. Right-hander Ben Brown underwent cervical spine surgery Monday in New York to address the recurring neck ailment that ended his stellar season in mid-June. Monday’s procedure involved inserting a screw in Brown’s neck to stabilize the stress fracture and improve circulation to the area.
The Cubs expect Brown will start throwing after the new year.
“Hopeful we get 100% of Ben Brown next year once he gets healthy and hopefully put some of these neck issues behind us,” general manager Carter Hawkins said Tuesday at the GM meetings. “Any pitcher injury is always something that you prefer to avoid and obviously whenever you’re dealing with bones and fractures and those types of things and you’re dealing with spines and necks, that’s always generally something you want to avoid.
“But, one, Ben’s extremely tough. Two, there’s nobody that works harder than Ben. He’s trying to make sure that he’s healthy, and the doctor’s given a really good prognosis that he’s going to be able to pitch for us next year and for a long time after that.”
Brown, 27, attempted to come back before the end of the season but experienced a setback when his neck symptoms returned during a two-inning bridge game in late August at the team’s complex in Mesa, Ariz. It’s the same issue that cost him the final three months of the 2024 season. Brown described the problem as a stress reaction with the C5 vertebra in his neck when he landed on the injured list in June. Rest was prescribed in 2024 and 2026 as the treatment, and he had not yet started throwing since his last shutdown in August.
The Cubs anticipate Brown returning at some point in the 2027 season.
“This surgery is to stabilize that area. I think if you combine taking some of the stress off (the neck) with also just making it stronger, it’s just a lot better prognosis, so this isn’t something that was usual or a normal type of surgery,” Hawkins said. “But at the same time, we are very confident that he’s going to pitch for us next year.”
Brown impressed in his bullpen-turned-starter role, trending toward an All-Star Game selection by putting up a 1.85 ERA in 20 games (eight starts) that spanned 68 innings in 2026. Despite missing the last three months, Brown led the Cubs pitching staff in fWAR (2.0) ahead of the next-closest Cubs pitcher, Shota Imanaga (1.8 fWAR), who threw 105 more innings than Brown.
“As far as career outlook goes, there’s almost a positivity around that, like, hey, we might actually be able to figure this out,” Brown said of his neck issues in June. “So, I’m looking at this now, like, there’s an actual issue here, and I’ve got to take care of it.
“I could fix all my mechanics and do everything off the field to move better or to throw in a healthier way, but that’s not going to take away from the fact that the bone has to heal, so that’s the focus and priority No. 1.”
Among the starters under team control in 2027, most feature health-related uncertainty. Left-hander Justin Steele hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since 2025 because of left elbow surgery that year, then had a flexor strain pop up in late April during his rehab process that ultimately prevented him from returning by the end of the season. Right-hander Cade Horton had Tommy John surgery in April that could potentially keep him from rejoining the rotation until the summer, depending on how conservatively the Cubs and his medical team take his rehab. Right-hander Edward Cabrera was limited to 15 starts and three late-season relief appearances because of time spent on the injured list due to a right middle finger blister twice and a left hamstring strain, while posting a 5.96 ERA.
Left-hander Braxton Garrett is out of minor-league options and must be on the pitching staff in some capacity. Right-hander Javier Assad still has an option year left, likely putting him in a depth/swing role again.
“We’ve made no secret that we’re going to be looking for pitching this offseason, and that’s what the majority of our conversations in the first three hours of the offseason here today (at the GM meetings) have been,” Hawkins said. “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.”