Javier Assad delivers a mixed bag in his long-awaited Chicago Cubs return

The Chicago Cubs gave fans a pleasant surprise ahead of Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays by announcing that Javier Assad would be coming off the injured list and making the start in place of Ben Brown. The game itself, however, was less than pleasant. In the latest infuriating display, the offense went flat again with a 1-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position, Dansby Swanson made two errors, and the North Siders dropped to 7 1/2 games back in the NL Central with a 5-1 loss.

Assad, for his part, delivered a mixed bag of a performance for his first start of the year. After missing the entire season to this point with an oblique injury, a little rust is more than understandable. On top of that, he also got thrown directly into the fire against the best offense in the second half in Toronto (149 wRC+ since the All-Star break heading into Tuesday). That makes the final result of four innings with four runs on eight hits in only 70 pitches all the more understandable. With all the chances the Cubs had to score, it never really felt like the loss was on his shoulders.

It's still not particularly sharp and likely not what fans were hoping for, especially after the Cubs neglected to get a proper starter at the deadline. Assad navigated traffic in each of the first three innings and got a little help from an outfield assist courtesy of Ian Happ, before the Jays got the big hit in the fourth. After a base hit and a hit batter, Ernie Clement took the righty deep on a slider over the middle third. That was more than enough to beat a team that could not muster a big hit all night despite multiple chances.

In short, it was not good enough, but there were several caveats heading in to explain Assad's performance. He wasn't limiting enough hard contact or getting many strikeouts, but his sinker was up to 94.5 MPH, and he generally looked healthy. Even if it wasn't what everyone hoped, he knows it was a big first step to be feeling good on a big league mound again, and the next step will be adjusting.

The Cubs need Javier Assad in good form for a pivotal stretch

Next up for Assad will be a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, which should be an easier match-up. He'll likely require another piggyback start with help from Brown, but the hope is that he pitches more like his 3.73 ERA self from last year. With Mike Soroka, their lone starting pitching depth added at the deadline, suffering a shoulder strain after just two innings, the Cubs need him to be that quality back-end/swing-man type that's been so effective in the past.

The rest of this rotation still has question marks. For as great as he's been, Matthew Boyd is also taking on a serious workload increase after returning late last year from Tommy John surgery. Cade Horton, too, is experiencing a big ramp-up in innings. Both have been vital to the rotation surviving this long, and it would be disastrous if one or the other suffered an injury. There's also Colin Rea, who has been an effective back-end arm with a 4.09 ERA, but is still preferably a swing-man rather than a pure starter.

Having Assad back at full strength won't magically give the Cubs the front-end starter they could use, but it gives them that depth to endure the rest of the season. Coupled with Jameson Taillon also returning soon, they'll have the means to go to a six-man rotation, should Craig Counsell want to give everyone more rest, as well as the flexibility to pick and choose the best pieces to start. Having a wealth of serviceable starters is a good problem for a contending team to have. The division might not be in reach anymore, but all they may need is the offense to wake up to finish 2025 strong and head into the playoffs with plenty of options.