| Brandon Hughes | |
| Team: | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 1 December 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. |
| Bats: | Switch |
| Throws: | Left |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | May 17 |
| Debutyear: | 2022 |
| Debutteam: | Chicago Cubs |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | June 28, 2024 |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 2–6 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 4.96 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 103 |
| Teams: | |
Brandon Kenneth Hughes (born December 1, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs.
Hughes attended Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He then enrolled at Michigan State University, where he played college baseball for the Michigan State Spartans.[1]
The Chicago Cubs selected Hughes in the 16th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft as an outfielder. The Cubs converted him from an outfielder into a pitcher in 2019.[2]
Hughes was called up to the majors for the first time on May 17, 2022.[3] He made his MLB debut that day. Hughes made five relief appearance for the Cubs, giving up two runs in 7.0 innings pitched while striking out 9 before he was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A on May 28.[4] On May 30, Hughes was selected back to the active roster.[5] On August 18, Hughes earned his first career save after pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles.[6]
In 2023, Hughes made 17 appearances out of the Cubs' bullpen, but struggled to a 7.24 ERA with 17 strikeouts across innings of work. On June 24, 2023, it was announced that Hughes would undergo a debridement surgery on his left knee, promptly ending his season.[7] He was non-tendered and became a free agent on November 17.
On February 1, 2024, Hughes signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[8] In 10 appearances for the Triple–A Reno Aces, he logged a 1.84 ERA with 12 strikeouts across innings pitched. On April 30, the Diamondbacks selected Hughes' contract, adding him to the major league roster.[9] In 12 appearances for Arizona, he struggled to a 10.29 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. On August 2, Hughes was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Reno.[10]