Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) slides in safely at home plate as Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (24) is unable to tag out Hoerner on a sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger in the fifth inning of a game at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to a left neck strain.
Brown, acquired in an August 2022 trade with Philadelphia, made his MLB debut on March 30 against Texas. The 24-year-old rookie has a 1-3 record with a 3.58 ERA in 15 games, including eight starts.
His IL placement is retroactive to Sunday, following an outing where he gave up three runs and three hits over four innings in a 4-3 loss to Cincinnati.
“He’s been kind of battling this over the last couple weeks,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “So we sent him back to Chicago to get some more tests to figure out what is going on.”
Right-hander Colten Brewer was activated from the 15-day IL before Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay. Brewer, who had been out with a low back strain, has a 3.09 ERA in seven relief appearances for Chicago this season.
Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner had a lengthy batting practice session and could return to the starting lineup on Wednesday night. Hoerner entered Tuesday night’s game against the Rays as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. He had been sidelined since Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Reds due to a small right-hand fracture.
