Javier Assad

April 6, 2026

Recalled, entering rotation

The Cubs recalled Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and will have him start Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Analysis

With Matthew Boyd (biceps) and Cade Horton (forearm) landing on the injured list within the past two days, the Cubs will turn to Assad to fill one of the two openings in the rotation. After falling short in his bid for a spot on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Assad has made two starts for Iowa this season, giving up seven earned runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out seven over seven innings. The right-hander has a much stronger track record over parts of four seasons in the majors, accruing a 3.43 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.6 K-BB% over 331 innings.