Shota Imanaga’s return could unlock a Cubs bullpen monster

The wait is almost over for the Chicago Cubs, who are finally set to welcome ace Shota Imanaga back to their rotation during this week's rivalry showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals. Imanaga has been out since May with a hamstring strain, and his absence has put even more strain on a Cubs rotation that was already stretched thin after Justin Steele went down with Tommy John surgery.

Imanaga has looked just like his old self while rehabbing in the Minors, and his return will be a huge boon to Chicago as the team tries to hold off the hard-charging Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

Of course, when one starting pitcher returns, that means another one is about to be out of a job. And for the Cubs, it's pretty clear who that pitcher should be: young righty Ben Brown, who's pitched to a 5.57 ERA across 15 appearances (13 starts) so far this season with an ugly 1.48 WHIP. Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd are locks, and Cade Horton and Colin Rea have simply been more effective to this point in the season, which would seem to leave Brown as the odd man out.

But it's not all bad news. In fact, Chicago and Brown himself could come to view this as a blessing in disguise. Because while Brown has had his ups and downs as a starter, Imanaga's return could unlock the role he was always meant to play on this Cubs team.

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Ben Brown could be the solution to the Cubs' bullpen issues

Brown's highs as a starter this season have been awfully high, and you can see the talent that had him ranked among the team's top pitching prospects not too long ago. The problem is a pretty simple one: He's essentially a two-pitch pitcher, thorwing his fastball and curveball a combined 95% of the time, and it's awfully hard to make that work while facing lineups multiple times every fifth day.

But while those pitches might not be enough to stick as a starter, they're absolutely enough to thrive as a high-leverage reliever, where pitchers are encouraged to max out for an inning at a time and you hardly ever face the same hitter more than once. Brown's curve has already established itself as a lethal weapon, with a whiff rate approaching 45%. Imagine if he were allowed to pair that with an even more explosive fastball, against batters who are less able to sit on it?

The Cubs bullpen hasn't been a real weakness this season, in large part thanks to out-of-nowhere efforts from guys like Danny Palencia, Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz. But none of those names are ones you feel great about rolling into the postseason with; Chicago needs to give Craig Counsell as many options as possible, and Brown's curveball should at least theoretically make him a weapon against righties and lefties alike.

In addition to Imanaga's return, the Cubs haven't been shy about wanting to add at least one starter before this year's trade deadline. And if Brown doesn't have a role in the big-league rotation, he should at least get a shot at sticking in the bullpen.