ST. LOUIS — Ben Brown’s inconsistency the last two months suggested it was a matter of when, not if, the Chicago Cubs would send the right-hander to the minors to get on track.

That time arrived on Tuesday when the Cubs optioned Brown to Triple-A Iowa and activated reliever Porter Hodge from the injured list. Brown pitched well and tossed up zeroes through the first three innings Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He left too much in the zone in his final two-plus innings at Busch Stadium, surrendering four two-run home runs before exiting in the sixth inning of the Cubs’ 8-2 loss.

A despondent Brown seemed to sense postgame what awaited him in his immediate future with the Cubs as Shota Imanaga’s return Thursday loomed. Brown, 25, owned a 6.71 ERA in his last 11 outings, including Monday’s start.

“Within your struggles there’s growth, and you don’t know it at the time that it’s happening, but you are getting better and when you’re in the trees, it’s hard to see that,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. “And hopefully you get a little space away from it, and you can help him understand how he’s getting better and then see clearly the things that we’ve got to get a little better at.”

Beyond the development the Cubs want to see with Brown’s execution and improvement with his changeup, the organization will also use this stint at Iowa to “somewhat limit his workload a little bit” though he will continue to start, Counsell said. Brown only threw 55 1/3 innings in 15 games (eight starts) during 2024 because of a neck ailment that sidelined him most of the season. He has already exceeded that total (79 1/3 innings) with three months remaining in the regular season.

Relying on his fastball-curveball combination requires a better level of execution than Brown has shown. He left too many pitches in the middle of the zone against the Cardinals, a common occurrence when Brown has blow-up innings. His changeup can be a third pitch that forces opposing hitters not to sit solely on his fastball or curveball, but it will require Brown to show it more than his 4.3% pitch usage this year.

The Cubs will ask he keep honing his changeup while he’s in Iowa, “but it’s not the reason, I’ll be clear with that” for Brown’s struggles and demotion.

“It’s just another piece of his development and something that he’s going to continue to work on because it is still relatively new and is something that he can improve on and, frankly, use more,” Counsell said.

Hodge isn’t expected to immediately return to high-leverage spots as he rejoins the bullpen. Counsell expects to find softer spots to use Hodge as the right-hander eases back in after an oblique strain and hip impingement landed him on the injured list. Hodge will need to show the Cubs he can consistently be in the strike zone, particularly with first-pitch strikes, and limit baserunners.

“We know Porter can be an important piece and a big piece,” Counsell said. “I don’t think we’re there right now, and I think he needs to pitch a little bit more, but we want to have him active, and we want to work toward getting him to that place.”