At the beginning of this season, the Chicago Cubs rookie who was dominating headlines was Shota Imanaga based on his historically low ERA that hadn't been seen in decades.
As the Japanese phenom continued to impress, another one of their rookies quietly started to make a name for himself. Ben Brown was promoted and used in different roles for a team that desperately needed reliable arms at that time.
Coming up the minor league ranks as a starting pitcher, he was utilized out of the bullpen in the MLB at times, rotating between being the starter and coming on as a reliever.
That's what impressed Cubs manager Craig Counsell and Brown's teammates so much.
Despite being used in completely different roles that requires different mindsets, the star prospect posted a 2.11 ERA in April and a ridiculous 1.16 ERA in May across 12 total outings and six starts.
Unfortunately, during his seven no-hit innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 28, he felt a pain in his neck he thought he could fight through. He stayed in the mix and started two games against the Cincinnati Reds in June that saw him allow eight earned runs during nine innings pitched.
That prompted Brown and Chicago to get imaging done.
He was then diagnosed with a strain in his neck and was placed on the injured list.
After getting multiple opinions from different doctors, this was considered something that stemmed from a stress reaction and was expected to keep him sidelined for up to three months.
However, it sounds like the Cubs could be getting him back much sooner than that.
According to the team's injury report page, Counsell said, "The initial diagnosis is not something we're operating under right now, which is good news ... And we think that as this goes, this can move on much more quickly."
How quickly will be determined by how much pain Brown can tolerate.
"I can't have the discomfort that I had against Cincinnati, but I can have the discomfort that I had against Milwaukee. It's just a matter of how much I can handle," he told Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune.
On June 18, the 24-year-old started a throwing program after doctors were "not concerned" with the updated imaging they received. He has worked his way up to playing catch at 90 feet.
When Brown will make his return to the field is unknown, but there's a good chance he'll be throwing impact innings for the Cubs again in 2024.
