Back on the roster, back in the rotation
The Chicago Cubs recalled right-hander Javier Assad earlier today and gave him the start in Miami against the Marlins. Tyler Ferguson was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to clear the roster spot.
Assad has lived on that shuttle all year. Chicago to Iowa, Iowa to Chicago, rotation to bullpen and back. He is 29 and sits at 6-1 with a 3.46 ERA across 22 appearances this season, ten of them starts. For a pitcher whose role changes every few weeks, that is a useful line.
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Five years of the same job description
Assad has never pitched for anyone else. Over five seasons with the Cubs he is 24-13 with a 3.43 ERA in 100 appearances, 64 of which were starts. The ERA barely moves whether he is opening a game or covering the middle innings, which is exactly why Chicago keep reaching for him when the rotation needs a body.
Ferguson goes the other way. The 32-year-old right-hander arrived in a May trade with the Athletics and has posted a 3.63 ERA with an 0-1 record in 17 relief outings for the Cubs. Across three major league seasons with Oakland and Chicago he is 8-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 122 appearances, all in relief.
Chicago are still shaping the back of their pitching staff into September. Assad gets another audition, and the demotion of a reliever they traded for four months ago says something about how thin the margins are down there.
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