Ben Brown’s Neck Injury Similar to What Ended His ‘24 Season

Ben Brown was recently placed on the IL with what the Cubs initially called a neck strain, immediately conjuring thoughts of the issue that shut him down in 2024. That was a stress reaction related to a benign growth called an osteoma, which is essentially a bone growing off another bone. The osteoma causes radiating pain and restricts the movement of his neck, so think of it like a constant crick from sleeping on it wrong.

“It’s a very similar injury to ’24,” Craig Counsell told 104.3 The Score on Thursday afternoon.

That’s not great news, especially since Brown didn’t pitch after June 8 that season. The hope is that getting a quicker diagnosis and having already experienced something similar will result in a quicker return. The priority right now is getting Brown healthy and comfortable, then the Cubs can worry about when he’ll pitch again.