Cubs first call-up of 2024 season isn’t the one fans were expecting

The Chicago Cubs can only hope that their disastrous Opening Day game is not a sign of what's to come for the 2024 campaign. The Cubs had a tall task in front of them, beginning their season on the road against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, but the way that game progressed was just brutal.

Not only did the Cubs lose the game in heartbreaking fashion, but the worst part of the match was the injury to ace Justin Steele. The left-hander was cruising along, allowing just one run in 4.2 innings of work with six strikeouts against a loaded lineup, but he suffered a hamstring injury making a play in the field and was placed on the Injured List on Saturday.

With Steele headed to the IL, the Cubs promoted Ben Brown, their No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline to replace him. If Cubs fans were asked before the season which one of their many talented prospects would get the call to the majors first, Brown certainly wouldn't have been the first to come to mind, but here we are.

Ben Brown earns unlikely call-up after Justin Steele injury

Brown pitched well in the 2022 campaign splitting time with the Phillies and Cubs, but had a bit of a down year last season, posting a 4.27 ERA in 26 appearances (19 starts) and 92.2 innings pitched overall. His 5.33 ERA in 22 appearances (15 starts) for AAA Iowa suggested he still had more seasoning to do. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and Brown finds his way to the big leagues before he throws a single pitch in the minors this season.

Brown will presumably enter the Cubs rotation in Steele's place, and the Cubs will hope that their ace doesn't miss substantial time.

While it makes sense to promote a pitcher who has seen a good amount of time in the upper minors, the Cubs happen to have one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, Cade Horton, nearing his MLB debut. Horton lacks the experience Brown has, but he was nothing short of dominant in his first full professional season in 2023.

When thinking about prospects who would've gotten the call before Brown, Horton would've made some sense. Additionally, guys like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw, two of Chicago's top five prospects, are pretty much MLB-ready as well. With the injury to Steele, though, it makes sense that the Cubs would choose to go with Brown as their first prospect call-up of the year over PCA and Shaw. The decision to go with Brown over Horton, though, is one that could come back to bite the Cubs if Steele misses substantial time.