Injuries thrust Javier Assad into the rotation. He delivered a dominant, shutout performance, proving he belongs with the Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs entered the season with plenty of starting pitching depth.
Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon were the five starters to begin the year in the rotation. Justin Steele would eventually be added to that group once fully recovered, and Colin Rea and Javier Assad gave the Cubs much-needed depth behind those six pitchers.
Both pitchers did their job this turn through the rotation, especially Assad.
Assad started the 2026 season down in Triple-A, where he made two starts for the Iowa Cubs. He tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his first start and then gave up eight runs (seven earned runs) with two strikeouts across four innings in his second Triple-A start.
Despite that second rough outing, Assad was called upon to start in place of the injured Boyd on Tuesday against the Rays. The right-hander was called up from Triple-A and was dominant in his first start of the season with the Cubs.
Assad threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings with one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts against the Rays in that outing. He was in control all game and picked up right where he left off last year. The 28-year-old finished with a 3.65 ERA and 23 strikeouts across eight appearances in 2025.
It was a bit surprising to see Assad not make the Opening Day roster. He has delivered on the mound time and time again and has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Cubs. He has a career 3.37 ERA in 336 ⅔ innings pitched since the start of the 2022 season.
Following another solid outing, it’s clear that Assad should not throw another pitch in the Minors the rest of the year. He deserves to be on the Major League roster and deserves to have a spot in the rotation/bullpen throughout the 2026 season.
While Assad doesn’t have the best swing-and-miss stuff, he always seems to get the job done. He continues to deliver when given the opportunity. Opposing hitters had an expected .150 batting average and a 0% barrel rate against him in his first start.
It remains to be seen whether Rea or Assad will take Horton’s spot in the rotation once Boyd is back from his injury. Either way, Assad should have a spot on this roster one way or another.