Assad makes timely return to rotation as Cubs begin grueling stretch

TORONTO -- From an off-day to staring down overtime, the Cubs kicked off a stretch of 14 games in 13 days on Tuesday night with a fresh face on the mound.

Well, fresh for the 2025 campaign, that is. Javier Assad has been a valuable member of Chicago’s rotation in past years, and he’ll strive to do so again despite a bumpy outing in a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Assad, who had a 3.73 ERA in 29 starts last year, made five Minor League rehab starts on his way back from a left oblique strain suffered in March. His return to the rotation was a timely one, given the busy upcoming stretch that includes a doubleheader against the National League Central-leading Brewers on Monday.

But the hope is that Assad’s first impression in 2025 won’t be a lasting one.

After Assad navigated through traffic in each of his first three innings, his night unraveled in exactly five pitches in the fourth. The right-hander allowed a single and hit a batter before leaving a slider over the inner third of the plate for Ernie Clement, who socked it out to left.

“They got the big hit tonight,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “That was the game, to me. They got the big hit, and we did not.”

Immediately after the Blue Jays’ big hit left the yard, Ben Brown rose in the bullpen to get loose.

Brown was originally scheduled to start on Tuesday before Assad came off the 60-day IL. It has been a tough road for Brown, who was optioned to Triple-A Iowa in June after posting a 6.13 ERA through 16 outings.

Brown is beginning to string together some solid outings, though. With four productive frames in Toronto, the second-year righty now has allowed just three runs over his past 13 innings.

Though Brown has mostly been used as a starter this year, Tuesday marked his third long relief appearance in four outings since returning from Iowa. He has issued only one walk over 17 innings in that four-game span, and that kind of command could help him carve out a long relief role for the long haul.

“Hopefully we’ll keep getting that version of Ben,” Counsell said. “It’s going to be very helpful.”

Getting length from Assad and/or Brown during a stretch with more games than game days is a big lift. But with Jameson Taillon due back next week and a more normal schedule on the horizon, what will this rotation look like?

Right now, Assad is lined up to start Sunday against the Pirates. If all goes well for Taillon at Triple-A on Wednesday, he’ll be on track to start a day or two later.

But that would put the Cubs at six starters, which is an idea Counsell isn’t currently entertaining.

“I think as we get to September, it’s something to consider,” Counsell said. “But in August, we won’t.”

If Chicago has six serviceable starters to choose from, that’s a good problem to have. The same is true on the other end of the battery, as the team is rostering three catchers with Tuesday’s reinstatement of Miguel Amaya.

Carson Kelly, who entered the series with a .299/.376/.506 slash line since July 1, is someone the Cubs aren’t looking to disrupt right now. Counsell alluded to that before Tuesday’s game, noting that giving playing time to fellow catchers Amaya and Reese McGuire “is going to be a challenge.”

On the mound and behind the plate, the Cubs have some roster and playing time questions to sort out. They won’t need answers immediately, though, because the logjam of mid-August matchups means depth will reign supreme.

As Chicago creeps closer to September, though, onfield performance will help dictate how roster spots and workloads play out.

For Assad, there’s still time to prove that he can be a solid contributor to the rotation once again. One outing against the red-hot Blue Jays doesn’t change that, and it doesn’t mean his night was completely devoid of positives.

“The good thing is, I feel good,” Assad said via Cubs team translator Fredy Quevedo Jr. “I feel healthy, and I feel like when you feel healthy, you can make those adjustments as you go by.”