Chicago Cubs Should Be Concerned with Young Pitcher's Expanding Workload

The Chicago Cubs have asked a lot from a young right-hander in their rotation and it should be of concern.

Apr 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown (32) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Wrigley Field. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have been excellent to start the season, but major concerns loom large for the team.

Even though things are going rather smoothly in terms of their win-loss record, the Cubs have lofty expectations for 2025.

So far, this team has proven that they can be one of the best in the National League, but they aren’t perfect.

To begin the year, Chicago has been carried by one of the best and most balanced lineups in the league. The Cubs can beat a team with their power and with their speed, making them a difficult batting order to navigate.

However, while the lineup has been great, the team does have some concerns about both their bullpen and starting rotation.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest weakness for the Cubs being the team having to use Ben Brown a lot more than expected in the starting rotation and his production being a bit of a concern.

“The hope heading into spring training was that the Cubs wouldn't even need Brown in the rotation, free to use him in the long-relief, occasional spot-starter role in which Keegan Thompson and Hayden Wesneski served in years past," he wrote.

The depth of the rotation for Chicago is certainly being tested, especially after the injury to Justin Steele. Losing the talented southpaw for the rest of the year might not have had an impact on the team just yet, but his loss will be felt sooner rather than later.

One player that the Cubs have been relying on in a more prominent role than expected coming into the campaign has been Ben Brown.

The 25-year-old right-hander was expected to be in the swingman role for Chicago this season but has instead been forced into being their fourth starter.

So far, the results haven’t been great. Brown has totaled a 4.88 ERA in seven games and six starts, but there is reason to believe he might get better. Currently, his FIP is at 3.69, which indicates there could be some improvement coming soon.

While Chicago might not have envisioned that the young right-hander was going to play such a significant role in the rotation, that has become a reality. Furthermore, not having him in the bullpen has had a negative impact on that unit as well.

For a team that has some lofty goals and expectations, the rotation has become a major problem with injuries to key members. While Brown has filled in, the results haven’t been great.

Ideally, the Cubs might have to consider adding multiple starters at the deadline, with the one of them being a front-end caliber pitcher.