Chicago Cubs make two roster moves before series with the Royals: Report

The Chicago Cubs, coming out of the All-Star break, have performed well, taking two of three games from the Boston Red Sox. The Cubs now welcome the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series, which could be a tryout for some of the Royals players, with a few potentially getting traded in the coming weeks.

The Cubs should be one of the more active teams at the Trade Deadline, with Jed Hoyer signaling he’s willing to go all in and trade anyone for a piece that puts them over the top. With the Trade Deadline a little over a week away, and the Cubs needing to add a top-tier starter, the Cubs are recalling Ben Brown from Triple-A to eat some innings until they add that piece.

Chicago Cubs recall Ben Brown before their series with the Kansas City Royals

The Cubs needed to find someone to start on Wednesday, as they had listed as TBA coming into the series, and are already going with a bullpen game tonight. The Cubs appear to have found a solution to that problem, with Cubs beat writer Patrick Mooney reporting that the Cubs have recalled right-hander Ben Brown from Triple-A and optioned right-handed reliever Ethan Roberts to Triple-A.

“The Cubs recalled Ben Brown and optioned Ethan Roberts to Triple-A Iowa ahead of tonight’s game against the Royals at Wrigley Field.”

The Cubs recalled Ben Brown and optioned Ethan Roberts to Triple-A Iowa ahead of tonight’s game against the Royals at Wrigley Field.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 21, 2025

Brown had been optioned to Triple-A in late June after failing to prove he could go deep into games. The Cubs’ main priority for Brown while down at Iowa was to build confidence in throwing his changeup more. Brown has a great four-seam fastball and knuckle curve, but needs to show hitters an offspeed pitch to keep them honest. In two starts at Triple-A Brown pitched to a 1-0 record with a 1.00 ERA in nine innings.

Roberts has been up and down for the Cubs this season and has a 1-0 record with a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances.

Browns status for the rest of the season

Brown will likely be the Cubs’ starter for Wednesday’s game, as they need someone to eat innings with today being a bullpen game. Brown is getting a second chance to show if he can be an effective starter and if he has made the necessary adjustments the Cubs had asked him to make.

Brown could be a wildcard for the Cubs moving forward. He could be an effective fifth starter if he made those adjustments, or at the very least, a decent bullpen option. In 16 games (14 starts), Brown has a 4-6 record with a 6.13 ERA in 79.1 innings.