Cubs’ Colten Brewer Suffers Broken Hand Injury After Punching Dugout Wall

A frustrating season for the Chicago Cubs took another bad turn on Sunday when Colten Brewer landed on the injured list.

The Cubs announced prior to their series finale against the Los Angeles Angels that Brewer was placed on the 60-day injured list.

Brewer told reporters he suffered a broken hand in Saturday’s game after punching the dugout wall in frustration. The right-hander was charged with three runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in 0.2 innings.

“My intention wasn’t to break my hand,” Brewer said. “I’ll get frustrated and make mistakes. That’s no excuse. There’s a lot I can prove out there, that I’m willing not to do stuff like that. Emotions get the best of us sometimes.”

Brewer entered the game to start the third inning. He came on to relieve Kyle Hendricks, who allowed two runs on four hits in two innings.

The first three hitters reached base against Brewer, including one because of a throwing error by the right-hander. It was one of two throwing errors in the inning, with the second one committed by first baseman Michael Busch.

By the time the third inning was over, the Cubs were trailing 5-0. They went on to lose the game 7-0 with Angels starter Tyler Anderson striking out 10 over eight shutout innings.

Since winning 18 of their first 30 games to start the season, the Cubs are 23-37 in the last 60 games. Their 41-49 record coming into Sunday is the third-worst in the NL, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (32-57) and Miami Marlins (31-58).

Despite their ongoing struggles, the Cubs are only six games out of a wild card spot because the middle of the NL has been mediocre so far.

Brewer is in his first season with the Cubs after signing a deal in January. He finished 2023 with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan after appearing in three games with the New York Yankees early in the season.

The 31-year-old has a 5.66 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 20.2 innings in 16 appearances this season. He will be eligible to return on Sept. 6.