Javier Assad Back at Wrigley as Possible Injury Replacement

Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, which made sense due to the team’s need for fresh arms as they play 14 games in 13 days. However, his arrival at Wrigley on Wednesday afternoon caused a bit of a stir. While it’s possible he could just be hanging around to throw a side session until he is required to report to Iowa, the initial reaction was that he’s back early as an injury replacement. Just in case we’re not all clear on that, an optioned player can only come back in under 15 days if another player goes on the IL.

The most logical guess is that Cade Horton will be placed on the IL with the blister issue that forced him from Monday’s start after less than three innings. With Jameson Taillon back and Assad able to handle some innings, it makes sense to give Horton a little time off. Beyond just the blister, his 116.2 total innings pitched this year puts him just six shy of his professional experience from the previous two seasons combined.

This would give the team a plausible way to manage Horton’s workload while allowing the blister to fully heal. Those things can be really stubborn, so the rookie was probably going to be pushed back a day or two even without an IL stint. More importantly, the Cubs don’t have to worry as much about threading the needle with his usage down the stretch.

More to come as we get official word.