Sports · Baseball · 9 hrs ago
Cubs’ Ben Brown Still Has No Clearance to Throw
Cubs pitcher Ben Brown has not been cleared to throw as he recovers from a neck injury.
Brown was diagnosed with a stress reaction after leaving the team’s rotation in June 2026.
He tried to resume throwing in August, but his symptoms returned and he did not rejoin the Cubs.
Surgery remains a possibility, while Brown and the team continue looking for answers.
A possible MLB lockout could cut off his access to team medical staff because players cannot communicate with team personnel during a lockout.
The current labor agreement expires on December 1, and a lockout is expected if no new deal is reached.
The uncertainty adds to the Cubs’ need for starting pitchers, after their late-2026 rotation group became free agents and other returning pitchers have questions around their health or performance.
Cubs right-hander Ben Brown has not been cleared to throw after a neck injury in 2026.
Surgery has not been ruled out, and Brown and the Cubs are still seeking answers.
Brown tried to resume a throwing program in August but symptoms returned.
His injury interrupted a promising season in which he had a 1.88 ERA through eight starts and 12 relief appearances.
A possible MLB lockout could limit Brown’s access to team medical staff during his recovery.
- Who
- Ben Brown, a right-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
- What
- He has not been cleared to throw, and surgery remains a possibility.
- When
- Reported November 9, 2026; Brown’s neck injury interrupted his 2026 season.
- Where
- With the Chicago Cubs.
- Why
- He has a neck injury described as a stress reaction, and symptoms returned when he tried to resume throwing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Brown made his eighth start of the season.
The Cubs placed Brown on the injured list retroactive to June 21, initially describing the issue as a neck strain.
Manager Craig Counsell said Brown had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck.
Brown tried to ramp up a throwing program, but his symptoms returned.
A report said Brown had not been cleared to throw and that surgery had not been ruled out.
- 2026 season workload
- 68 innings over eight starts and 12 relief appearances
- Earned run average
- 1.88
- Injured-list placement
- June 24, retroactive to June 21, 2026
- Neck diagnosis
- Stress reaction
- Throwing attempt
- August 2026; symptoms returned