Ben Brown Optioned to Triple-A Iowa, Confident in His Best Form Yet

Ben Brown is heading back to Iowa with his chin up. The Chicago Cubs optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Iowa after 14 starts in which he posted a 6.13 ERA and 4.08 FIP across 79 1/3 innings, a sharp regression from a rookie campaign that showed genuine promise. Brown isn't arguing the decision, but he isn't second-guessing himself either, asserting this is his best form yet and expressing equal comfort starting in Triple-A or working as a reliever in the big leagues.

Manager Craig Counsell has made clear this is not a referendum on Brown's future. Counsell has publicly stated the changeup work the Cubs are asking of Brown in Iowa is part of the development plan, but it is not the primary reason for the demotion. As Chicago Tribune reporter Meghan Montemurro relayed of Counsell's comments: "The Cubs will ask him to keep honing his changeup while he's in Iowa, 'but it's not the reason, I'll be clear with that' for Brown's struggles and demotion."

The numbers on that changeup, though, tell an uncomfortable story. Brown threw 52 of his 57 changeups this season against left-handed batters, and that group hit .333 with an .833 slugging percentage against the pitch. For a secondary offering used to neutralize opposite-handed hitters, those figures are not functional at the MLB level.

Brown has been aware of the gap. He began developing a kick-change around the midpoint of last season and spent the offseason in pitch-design mode working to refine it. The 6-foot-6 East Setauket, New York native has used the pitch just 4.5% of the time, and while the metrics haven't caught up yet, Brown has said he likes where the pitch is trending. "It's in a pretty good spot right now," he said of the kick-change. FanGraphs has also noted that Brown, who carries a 96-mph four-seamer, an 87-mph curveball, and that 90-mph kick-change, has added a two-seamer to his repertoire, with reports indicating Clay Holmes helped him develop a new offering during the offseason work.

The contrast with his rookie numbers makes the 2025 slide more jarring. In his debut season Brown went 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA and a 3.11 FIP over 55 1/3 innings, striking out 64 and walking just 19. That underlying FIP suggested someone who could stick. This year the FIP has climbed to 4.08, which is manageable, but the ERA gap above it signals real damage on contact.

The debate around Brown's long-term role has grown louder alongside the struggles. Some analysts argue his current arsenal, without a slider or cutter, belongs in a bullpen rather than a rotation. The Cubs, for their part, have depth at the starter position: Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera form the core, with Justin Steele still expected to return and top prospect Jaxon Wiggins waiting behind him. That logjam makes Brown's path back to a starting role narrow even if the changeup sharpens quickly.

What works in Brown's favor is that the Cubs haven't closed the door. A 4.08 FIP in the majors is a pitcher with real stuff; the ERA damage is correctible if the changeup becomes a weapon rather than a liability. Iowa will tell him quickly whether the offseason work translates under game conditions.