The Chicago Cubs’ starting rotation took a setback on Saturday as manager Craig Counsell confirmed this in an announcement: one of the key members of the team will miss the start of the season. This star was expected to hold the No. 5 spot in the rotation but has been sidelined with an oblique injury sustained early in spring training. Until Counsell’s announcement, there had been no official update on his condition.
This player is none other than Javier Assad. There has been no update on him for a quite some time now, However, there is some progress—Assad is set to resume throwing off a mound next week, marking his first bullpen session since the injury. Over his MLB career, Assad has posted a solid 3.40 ERA across 294 innings. Since making his debut in 2022, he has pitched in at least 29 games in each of the last two seasons. His breaking pitches have been particularly effective, with opponents batting just .178 against his curveball and .174 against his sweeper in 2024. He recorded 26 strikeouts with the curveball, second only to his sinker.
With Assad sidelined, the Cubs now have an open competition for the final spot in their rotation—one of the key battles to watch as spring training continues. When he does return, Assad is expected to ease back into action as a long reliever before potentially reclaiming a starting role.
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