Nobody expected this Cubs player to become so important in 2026
Heading into the 2026 season, the Chicago Cubs already appeared to have most of their pitching staff firmly in place. Even with Justin Steele opening the year on the injured list, before suffering a setback, Chicago still featured a talented starting rotation that included Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Cade Horton.
The bullpen also had defined roles entering the season. Daniel Palencia was slated to handle closing duties, while newcomer Phil Maton and returning veteran Caleb Thielbar were expected to frequently work the late innings ahead of him. With Colin Rea already penciled in as the club’s primary bulk innings option, there initially did not appear to be a clear Opening Day roster spot available for Ben Brown, who finished the 2025 season with a 5.92 ERA over 25 games (15 starts).
However, Brown forced Chicago to keep him on the roster after an impressive spring training that featured the addition of a new sinker to his arsenal. Just over a month into the season, injuries have since pushed him into a crucial multi-inning relief role, and he has responded by becoming one of Chicago’s most valuable arms. Most recently, that included recording his first save of the year, further highlighting just how important he has become to the Cubs’ early success.
Ben Brown has become a very important piece of the 2026 Chicago Cubs

This season, Craig Counsell has turned to Brown out of the bullpen 11 different times, and the right-hander has consistently delivered length. Brown has logged at least 2.0 innings in every appearance except one outing of 1.2 innings, while maxing out at 3.1 innings in relief.
Across 24.2 total innings, he has posted an impressive 1.82 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. More importantly, Brown looks completely in command on the mound, pitching with confidence, trusting the defense behind him, and finally producing the type of results Cubs fans have been waiting years to see.
The post Nobody expected this Cubs player to become so important in 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.
Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-ben-brown-most-important-bullpen-pitcher/
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