The Chicago Cubs are well underway in Spring Training as they prepare for the start of the 2026 season. One of the questions that they are trying to answer is what pitchers they will carry onto their Opening Day roster. This is, of course, the case every year. That being said, this year’s crop of pitchers presents a great deal of interesting possibilities.
Among the pitchers that are vying for a spot in the starting rotation and/or bullpen is right-handed pitcher Ben Brown. Originally acquired by the Cubs in 2022 in a trade for David Robertson, Brown has appeared in the Majors for Chicago in each of the past two seasons.
However, he is not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2026.
Chicago Cubs RHP Ben Brown named “dark horse” candidate to make Opening Day roster
Brown made the Opening Day roster in 2025, but struggled mightily last season. He was just 5-8 in 25 games (15 starts) with a 5.92 ERA. He also recorded his first career save.
Indeed, Brown has not pitched consistently well on the Major League level. For his career, he has a 5.12 ERA. However, if he performs well this spring, he could find his way onto the Opening Day roster again:
“Brown made the Cubs’ Opening Day rotation a year ago, but the current makeup of the starting staff and bullpen has the righty on the outside looking in this spring. Barring anything unexpected, the rotation projects to include Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. A sixth option, veteran Colin Rea, looks ticketed for one of the few relief vacancies.
“This puts the hard-throwing Brown in a position where Chicago will consider sending him to Triple-A Iowa as rotation depth. That said, with his intriguing two-pitch mix (and a developing changeup), Brown has a chance to win a bullpen job this spring.”
As noted above, the Cubs could send Brown to Triple-A to start the season and bring him back up to the Majors later when they need a little extra pitching depth. However, his newfound changeup could be a real game-changer for him, and if he can throw it effectively, could become an integral part of the rotation.
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