MESA, Ariz. -- Ben Brown knew he was in the mix for the fifth spot in the Cubs¡¯ rotation, but things became official as the team began going over the upcoming schedule for its pitchers. It provided the official confirmation that the young right-hander was indeed getting the lone opening within the starting staff.
¡°It was really awesome to hear,¡± Brown said.
Brown worked 4 1/3 innings against the Braves on Tuesday in the final preseason game for the Cubs, who are set to open the domestic portion of the regular season against the D-backs on Thursday at Chase Field. The initial five-man rotation for Chicago is set to feature Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Brown.
In the March 18 opener of the two-game Tokyo Series against the Dodgers, Brown came out of the bullpen and worked 2 2/3 innings in relief of Imanaga. The righty was in the relief corps at that point to offer multi-inning protection, while also staying on a routine that kept him in the hunt for shifting back to a starting role.
¡°He performed super effectively in that role last year,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°And we think he¡¯s got the ability to do it.¡±
With Brown in the rotation, the Cubs will move veteran Colin Rea to the bullpen as a multi-inning option, though Counsell added that he ¡°is going to make a lot of starts¡± this season. The manager emphasized the importance of having Rea¡¯s innings available out of the ¡®pen early in the year due to the disruption the Japan trip caused for the starters¡¯ routines.
Brown, 25, posted a 3.58 ERA in 15 games (eight starts) last season, racking up 64 strikeouts against 19 walks in 55 1/3 innings. That included striking out 10 in seven no-hit innings on May 28 against the Brewers. Brown only made two more appearances before a neck issue flared and persisted, ending his season prematurely.
With a clean bill of health this spring, Brown believes that experience can, in a way, be beneficial for him mentally.
¡°I know when trials and tribulations come in the future,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be able to handle them pretty well. The neck was insane. It was really hard to deal with and it was a tough situation of not knowing what was going on.¡±
Keller grabs final bullpen job
When the Cubs signed Brad Keller to a Minor League contract over the winter, the team hoped to build on the progress he showed late last season. The righty continued to display impressive velocity readings this spring and convinced Chicago to hand him the last available job in the bullpen.
¡°This is a place, organizationally, we did a nice job,¡± Counsell said. ¡°And I think Brad showed trust and faith in the process and in our ideas around helping him improve. So he¡¯s excited. I think he¡¯s excited by his spring. And he has definitely been one of the pleasant surprises this spring.¡±
According to the Statcast data available for this spring, the 29-year-old Keller averaged 96.2 mph on his fastball and topped out at 97.9 mph in Cactus League play. That is up from the 93.8 mph average he registered between stints with the White Sox and Red Sox last year. With Boston, Keller was up to 94.6 mph on average in August.
The Cubs will be able to add Keller to the active roster once righty Tyson Miller (left hip impingement) is placed on the injured list, as Counsell previously noted. Chicago will also have to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster, but that step is not required until Thursday ahead of the D-backs series.
Last bench spot down to Bruj¨¢n, Workman
With second baseman Nico Hoerner on target for the start of the domestic season, the final position-player vacancy for the Cubs appears to be down to Gage Workman (Rule 5 pick) or Vidal Bruj¨¢n (out of Minor League options). There is a late-spring wrinkle in Chicago¡¯s decision-making around the utility men.
Counsell noted that Bruj¨¢n sustained a right elbow contusion while hitting the wall on a catch attempt against the Rockies on Saturday at Sloan Park. Bruj¨¢n has experienced some lingering discomfort, more so while hitting than throwing. That leaves the possibility open of having Bruj¨¢n begin the season on the injured list.
Quotable
¡°I want to be reliable. I want to go out there and I want my stuff to tick up month by month. I¡¯d love to just be able to just go out there every fifth or sixth day and make really good pitches and navigate through lineups.¡± -- Brown, on his goals for ¡®25