Cubs Recall Ben Brown, Option Ethan Roberts to Triple-A in Pitching Shuffle

The Chicago Cubs are mixing things up on their pitching staff, as Ben Brown will rejoin the team while Ethan Roberts heads to Triple-A Iowa.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown (32) throws against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, June 6, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs announced a swap of pitchers between their active 26-man roster and Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

Right-hander Ben Brown is on his way back to the Major Leagues, while fellow righty Ethan Roberts will join the minor league affiliate in Iowa.

Brown, who has been deployed both as a starter and as a reliever in his two MLB stints, has struggled in his appearances with the Cubs in 2025.

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In 16 appearances, 14 of which have been starts, he owns a 6.13 ERA and has allowed 94 hits in 79.1 innings.

That's a big regression from what he showed in his rookie campaign in 2024, when he posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 55.1 innings.

Brown was demoted after a blowup start on June 23 when he allowed eight earned runs in five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on a day in which he struck out a season-low three batters.

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With excellent strikeout ability and solid velocity, it's easy to see the potential in Brown, and he showed why it's still there in his two appearances with Iowa in which he allowed one earned run across nine innings of work.

With Justin Steele out for the year and Jameson Taillon sidelined, the Cubs are widely expected to be in the market for starting pitching at the July 31 trade deadline, but Brown's presence on the active roster provides another stretched-out option to start games.

If he's not needed in the rotation, he could amp things up as a reliever in bigger moments.

Roberts, who turned 28 on July 4, has a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances with Chicago, but he's got a 2.74 ERA in 20 games with Iowa this season.

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