\u201cYou never have enough pitching, but we felt like we were 11 and 12 deep going in (to the season) so we felt like we had depth \u2014 and it went away really quickly,\u201d Hoyer said Thursday. \u201cThis clustering has been something I haven\u2019t really experienced, especially different injuries: a couple elbows, couple hamstrings, a neck, a knee. I mean, this has been all over the map.<\/p>\n
\u201cI say to you guys every year, when you leave spring training you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to get. So this is the set of challenges that we\u2019re faced with, and we just have to overcome them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Losing Brown amid his stellar stretch in the rotation \u2014 a 1.70 ERA in eight starts \u2014 is a blow, as the 26-year-old had taken a huge step forward thanks to the development of a sinker and changeup in the offseason to round out what had been a two-pitch repertoire.<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CTC-L-cubs-blue-jays022.jpg\")
Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown walks through the dugout in the sixth inning against the Blue Jays on June 19, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
After Brown experienced neck discomfort the last two weeks, it finally reached a point he couldn\u2019t pitch through it. He has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck, similar to the problem he experienced in June 2024 that was diagnosed as an osteoma, a benign bone tumor, that ultimately caused him to miss the rest of that season. Manager Craig Counsell acknowledged there is some concern that the problem is similar.<\/p>\n
Brown will be seeking a second opinion, and there isn\u2019t a clear plan of attack for his recovery. But, Hoyer said, \u201cit\u2019s going to be a somewhat lengthy process here of rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat injury you can\u2019t do much,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cYou have to rest it, and that\u2019s what we have to figure out, how long that rest period is. I really feel bad for him. He was having an All-Star type season, pitching great for us, and it\u2019s unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs also don\u2019t have clarity on how long Cabrera might be out. They hope his moderate left hamstring strain will have a similar healing process to Jameson Taillon\u2019s hamstring strain, which was roughly a six-week time frame to return after initially sustaining it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly in the moment it looks worse, and you never know how each guy is going to heal,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cBut that would probably be a good case for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782493646_546_ctc-l-cubs-rockies-0616-32.jpg\")
Cubs pitcher Edward Cabrera bends on the mound during the fifth inning against the Rockies on June 16, 2026, at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Any hopes that left-hander Justin Steele<\/a> will be able to make impactful starts in the second half of the season also might need to be tempered. Steele, who suffered a setback in his return from April 2025 elbow surgery when he was diagnosed with a flexor strain in late April, only started throwing a baseball last week, the first step in a long buildup.<\/p>\n Steele expressed optimism last week that he could be back in the rotation before the season ends, but Hoyer expressed less certainty about that possibility. The Cubs won\u2019t have a great idea of when Steele might return, or in what role, until he gets further along in his throwing progression.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to be ambitious. You want that, you want him to push,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to be realistic. I certainly think he could help us, but being stretched out enough to make starts, we have to play for a long time for that to happen. So realistically, in September, it\u2019s hard for him to be a starter, but I still think he can help us.\u201d<\/p>\n As for whether Hoyer has had a more direct conversation with Steele about the reality of the timeline, he believes there are steps the 30-year-old needs to get through before that becomes a relevant discussion. Steele is expected to visit his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point we\u2019ll have a better sense of the timeline,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cBut in the meantime, it\u2019s been nice to have him around.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cubs are built around their position players and elite defense. Both of those areas must step up in the coming week until their pitchers can get healthy enough to help them in some capacity during the second half.<\/p>\n Hoyer and the front office will continue to look for moves to bolster the pitching staff in the lead-up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, as they did with Wednesday\u2019s trade to acquire Mets lefty starter David Peterson<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll always talk about the trade market, but realistically the second wild card of the American League is two games under .500 right now, so it\u2019s really hard to be out of the race in the American League,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cA little bit easier in the National League for some teams, but teams aren\u2019t talking trades that much right now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to assume that we\u2019re going to be mostly focused internally. We\u2019ll talk to every team, we\u2019ll explore things, but realistically I would imagine, given how teams are clumped together, it\u2019s going to be pretty late toward August 3rd.\u201d<\/p>\n