The Cubs’ starting rotation in early July looks a lot different from what was expected when the season started. Injuries have taken a serious toll, but thanks in part to guys like Javier Assad, the Cubs have stayed in the playoff hunt 90 games into the season.
On Sunday, as the Cubs were looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals, Assad gave his team 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Sunday’s outing continued a stretch of seven appearances — including four starts — in which Assad has posted a 2.78 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP.
“It all revolves around the sinker for Javy,” manager Craig Counsell said of Assad’s successful month. “That’s everything for him, and that pitch has been really crisp. And as long as he’s got that pitch going, he can navigate outings. His velocity is crisp, his location is crisp, and if he has those two things with that pitch, he’s going to be able to navigate with the rest of his stuff.
“And I think that’s what you see. The hitters respect that pitch so much because of his ability to put it on both sides of the plate and the movement on it. He’s going to be effective if he has that pitch going.”
His current run goes back to when Assad was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on June 6. Over the course of his career, Assad has gotten used to being on the Des Moines-to-Chicago shuttle, as he has frequently been sent back and forth between Triple-A and the majors since his debut in August 2022.
Most recently, Assad has pitched out of the rotation, but he’s been called upon to show flexibility throughout his Cubs tenure, even in the last month. When Assad first rejoined the big league club in June, he was coming out of the bullpen.
“Just staying mentally strong [and] taking advantage of every opportunity,” Assad said via interpreter Fredy Quevedo, Jr. of how he’s managed filling different roles. “Whatever role is needed for me, whether they need me as a reliever or they need me as a starter, just staying mentally strong and staying prepared.”
With the trade deadline roughly a month away, it’s still tough to determine what precise course team president Jed Hoyer will take. He told reporters on Friday that for the time being, the Cubs might have to take a sort of piecemeal approach to get them at least through the next few weeks.
“I think that’s what’s going to happen: We’ll keep making small moves and keep trying to patch holes and do those things. The hope every time is you churn through, and you find a guy or two that can really help you over the long haul,” Hoyer told reporters before the series opener against the Cardinals.
Having Assad take the mound every five games is a key part of what will make that approach successful. Hoyer has suggested the possibility of the Cubs being aggressive at the trade deadline and getting some arms, but that is contingent on his team holding onto its position in the postseason standings. And Assad’s continued performance will be needed for that to happen.
The injuries to the pitching staff have affected the bullpen as well. Both because guys like Assad and Colin Rea, who might otherwise be taking on more relief innings are pitching out of the rotation, and because there have been injuries to pitchers like Daniel Palencia.
That has meant the Cubs’ bullpen arms have had to show similar flexibility as Assad, and as with the rotation, they are going to have to pull their collective weight until help comes at the trade deadline. In Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Cardinals that salvaged the weekend series against the Cardinals, Jacob Webb pitched a two-out save.
“It all comes down to preparation,” Webb said of the relievers’ flexibility in their roles. “The bullpen, all of those guys prepare very well, [and] taking advantage of all opportunities and keep moving forward every single day.”
Help for the Cubs pitching staff could be on the way sooner than the trade deadline. Jameson Taillon pitched in a rehab start for Single-A South Bend on Sunday and is on target to rejoin the rotation soon. And Edward Cabrera, out since June 24 with a left hamstring strain, was running in the outfield at Wrigley before Sunday’s game, and Counsell reported that Cabrera had “a very good day.”
These things have Counsell cautiously optimistic about the state of his pitching staff in the near future. But one thing that’s been constant on his team in getting through the rash of injuries has been the guys in the bullpen and pitchers like Assad being unified in their attitudes about their roles for the team.
In Assad’s case, that’s something that his teammates have noticed about him from the beginning, going all the way back to when he first pitched in the majors.
“This year and ever since he debuted, just the amount of innings that he’s covered for our group in different types of situations and against every type of lineup,” Nico Hoerner said. “He’s been such a valuable asset for us, and we just always feel confident when he’s on the mound and he always gives you a chance to win.”
If the rotation gets healthier in the coming weeks, Assad could be sent back to the bullpen or even back to Triple-A Iowa to wait for the next time he’s asked to come help the Cubs. But for the time being, he is a part of stabilizing a pitching staff rocked by injury, and if asked, Assad said he could do even more. He was pulled at 80 pitches on Sunday, but Assad said he’s comfortable going 90 or even 100 at this point.
“I’ve done it before. I feel really good right now,” Assad said. “I’ve stayed healthy, which is the most important thing, but I don’t make those orders. I’m just following those orders, but I do think I can [go 100 pitches].”
