Javier Assad DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) felt discomfort in his side during his minor-league rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and is on his way to Chicago to be examined by the team's medical staff. The 27-year-old injured his left oblique in spring training and opened the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list. Just when the Mexican hurler was getting close to a debut in the big leagues, he suffered a setback this week. In two rehab games with Iowa, Assad allowed three earned runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out nine over 7 1/3 innings. He did a respectable job in his transition to being a full-time start for the Cubbies in 2024, but Assad lacks a ton of fantasy upside because of a below-average strikeout rate. There's no timetable for his potential return to the majors, and when he is back, there's no guarantee he'll have a rotation spot waiting for him.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad (oblique) left his rehab start early on Tuesday after grabbing at his side while warming up for the fifth inning. This certainly isn't good news for the right-hander, especially since it appears like a re-aggravation of the oblique injury that he is rehabbing. There should be more updates after he is evaluated further, but it looks like he will have to wait even longer before making his return to the major league roster.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) made his first minor-league start for Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and had a decent performance, allowing an earned run on four hits while walking one and striking out four in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Assad has yet to make his 2025 debut due to an oblique strain that he suffered in spring training, but he's getting closer to being able to rejoin Chicago's starting rotation. The Cubs could certainly use the help after losing left-hander Justin Steele (elbow) for the entire season. In his transition from reliever to full-time starter in 2024, Assad held his own and went 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA (4.64 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 124 strikeouts and 63 walks in 147 innings over 29 starts. He's off to a bad start in 2025 due to his injury and he also doesn't have much strikeout upside, but he can serve as a valuable innings eater in NL-only formats.