Cubs Had No Choice But to Take Rotation Spot From Struggling Young Pitcher

The Chicago Cubs are on the cusp of hitting a crisis point with their starting rotation, giving up 46 runs over the course of the last five games and hitting a skid in the win/loss column as well.

Of course, the good news is that the Cubs are seemingly on the cusp of getting their star ace Shota Imanaga back in the fold as the Japanese left-hander is due to return this week.

With Imanaga coming back though, someone is going to lose their spot in the rotation, and the way things were going it unfortunately became obvious who that needs to be.

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Young right-handed converted reliever Ben Brown was rocked on Monday night against the hated rival St. Louis Cardinals, allowing nine hits and eight runs en route to an important defeat in the opener of a four-game series.

As a result, Brown was optioned back to Triple-A on Tuesday before the second game of the series.

On the season, Brown has an ERA of 6.13 and 1.525 WHIP, allowing 16 runs over his last three starts.

"It just all happened really fast,” Brown said via Marquee Sports after the game. “It’s really frustrating. It’s going to be tough to sleep tonight just knowing I was that close to something really good tonight and just as fast it all went away. So it’s hard."

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The most frustrating aspect here is the fact that when Brown is on, he is downright dominant. He has real strikeout stuff with 91 K's in 79.1 innings pitched and has had several outings this season that have made him look like a future ace.

Chicago does not need to give up on the 25-year-old entirely by any means, but if there's an odd man out in the rotation right now with Imanaga coming back and a potential trade in the near future, it simply had to be Brown.

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Brown could absolutely return to the team at some point over the next couple of months, though in what role remains to be seen. If he can work on and develop the third pitch that he's lacking and shows he has taken a step, a job back in the rotation may be in the cards if there is a need.

More than likely though, it's a long reliever role for right-hander, as he has shown signs of having some truly elite bullpen stuff. For now though, this call had to be made.

The Cubs are a legitimate contender if they can get it together in the rotation and the volatility of Brown is not something they can allow the youngster to simply work through.

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He is capable of being an important part of the pitching staff in the future, though Chicago does not have time this season to allow an unseasoned arm to work through big league growing pains.

Exactly what the move ends up being is anyone's guess, but fans should expect Brown to be moved out of the rotation in some way, shape or form as soon as the end of the week.

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