Cubs Make Tough Decision on 3.40 ERA Starter

Assad was making his way through rehab starts before re-aggravating that oblique. Now, he has a grade-2 strain and will be shut down for the foreseeable future.

This is a tough blow for Chicago, which has already lost Justin Steele for the year with elbow surgery. Assad has quietly had an excellent career with Chicago and would have made for a nice reinforcement to this starting rotation.

Since debuting in 2022, Assad has a 3.40 ERA, a 4.49 FIP, and twice as many strikeouts (248) as walks (124) over 294 innings. The 27-year-old became a full-time starter in 2024 and this summer presented a tremendous opportunity to establish himself as a pitching staff cornerstone.

Assad had been durable in his three seasons with the Cubs, and if there is a silver lining, at least it was not an elbow or throwing arm-related setback. However, with Assad out for an extended period, Chicago may ramp up its search for pitching support.

President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer, in a walk year, is in win-now mode as evidenced by the Kyle Tucker trade and the Matt Shaw demotion. Perhaps not having Assad to fall back on until further notice could push his hand and seek another quality starting pitcher.

Until then, Assad will have an extensive rehab process, and hopefully, Cubs fans will see their potential breakout star later this summer.