MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs are rolling with right-hander Ben Brown in the rotation.
Brown, 25, will open the season as the Cubs’ fifth starter, coming off a great rookie season that was cut short by a neck injury.
“He’s been very healthy and certainly we think he performed super effectively in that role last year and think he’s got the ability to do it,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. “This is just about being a good pitcher and everybody kind of does that a little differently. That’s certainly something Ben has shown is the ability to get swing-and-miss, and that for him right now, that’s a little bit of his foundation and gets him out of some trouble. The rest of it is where the development is left to happen.
“He’s been good this spring. I think he could get better, and I think he will as he keeps taking the ball.”
In the Cubs’ final exhibition game, Brown allowed two runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings with one walk and four strikeouts in a 4-2 win versus the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Sloan Park. Brown’s inclusion in the rotation means veteran right-hander Colin Rea will be used out of the bullpen, though Counsell noted he will still make many starts over the course of the season. Counsell expects Rea to play a valuable role in relief in the first week of the season and the initial two turns through the rotation.
“Length from the bullpen is something that we’re really going to need,” Counsell said. “And we have some guys because of the Japan trip not completely stretched out to where normal spring training would happen and then we have seven games in a row like a lot of teams do to start the season, and that’s going to make Colin’s innings on a particular day really important.”
Right-hander Brad Keller has also made the team in the bullpen following a strong spring. The Cubs will need to add the hard-throwing 29-year-old to the 40-man roster but don’t have to officially make that move until Thursday.
“I kind of go back to Brad signing with us, and I think this is a place organizationally we did a nice job,” Counsell said. “I think Brad showed some trust and faith in the process to our ideas around helping him improve. So he’s excited. I think he’s excited by his spring, he’s definitely been one of the pleasant surprises this spring. When you’re a nonroster guy coming into his situation, there was nothing promised coming into camp. So he earned his way on and that’s what you want to do in those situations.”
The Cubs have not yet made a decision on the final bench spot, which comes down to Gage Workman and Vidal Bruján, who were both part of the active roster in Japan. But with second baseman Nico Hoerner on track to be ready for Thursday’s opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs won’t need to carry both players on their 26-man roster.
Part of that decision hinges on Bruján’s health. He exited Saturday’s game after a collision with the outfield wall at Sloan Park resulted in a contusion on his right elbow that he is still feeling, particularly when hitting. Starting the season on the injured list has not been ruled out for Bruján.
