Javier Assad Leaves Rehab Start Early Grabbing Side

Javier Assad missed all of spring training with an oblique injury suffered early in camp, but he had begun the rehab process and was nearing a return to Chicago. However, that was before his Tuesday start. The righty made his first start for the Iowa Cubs on April 15, going 3.1 innings with one run allowed on four hits and a walk. He looked good on Tuesday night in his second outing, tossing four innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts and three walks. Then he came out for the next frame.

While warming up for the 5th inning, Assad threw a warmup pitch and grabbed at his side before heading straight to the dugout. The Cubs have not released any information yet, but the initial thought is that it’s a recurrence of his earlier injury. If that’s the case, he could be sidelined for several more weeks before resuming a throwing program.

Let’s just hope it was a cramp and that he’ll be back sooner than feared.