The Cubs did not knock anyone’s socks off at the MLB trade deadline last week, bringing in four new players but failing to provide a major upgrade at any one positions. There will be more bullpen depth thanks to the acquisition of Andrew Kitteredge and Taylor Rogers, as well as a new starter in town, Michael Soroka, a former All-Star who has gone 5-20 since coming back from a series of surgeries that cost him all of 2021 and 2022.
Utility man Willi Castro will help the bench.
There was hope that the Cubs might go all-in on another bat–remember the Eugenio Suarez rumors?–or a frontline starter, but one reason the team felt it could be modest in its approach at the deadline is that reinforcements were expected to be on the way.
Indeed, the team’s rotation is expected to get a significant boost in the coming weeks, as both Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon are working their way through rehab assignments that should have them back in the big leagues soon.
Cubs Should Javier Assad Back Soon
Assad was 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA last season, but was lost in spring training when he suffered a mild oblique injury that became more serious when he re-injured it during an April rehab start at Triple-A Iowa. The hope is that Assad can be back in Chicago by mid-August, preferably as a starter.
After making a Single-A start, Assad returned to Iowa on Wednesday and went 3.2 innings, allowing four hits, a walk and one earned run. He is slated to pitch in Triple-A again this week, and should be on track to come back after that.
“It’s been a tough season for Javy in terms of, you know, he was really injured most of spring training and his entirety of the season,” Counsell said. “But I think the thing to remember is that we have important baseball left and he can be a contributor.
“He’s on a good track right now, and I know it’s good to be around the team again and get you feeling like you’re close.”
Jameson Taillon Struggles in Rehab
Taillon, too, should be back soon, with the expectation that he will be on the mound for the stretch run. Taillon was 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 95.1 innings in 17 starts this year but suffered a calf injury in June and has been out for more than a month.
He made a rehab start for Iowa on Sunday, and the numbers were a bit unsightly: 3.0 innings, seven hits (two homers), seven runs and two hit batsmen. He’ll get at least one more chance to show improvement before he is back with the Cubs. But even though the results were not great, Taillon found the positives.
“Being healthy and getting a pitch count in, going through the routine and getting the workload in, all that, I thought it was productive,” Taillon said. “… We’ll just see how the next one goes. Hopefully it’s better than this.”
Cubs Will See Michael Soroka Debut Monday
As for the current Cubs rotation, Soroka will finally make his Cubs debut on Monday against the Reds in Chicago. Durability will be a critical factor for him–he has only thrown six complete innings in four of his 16 starts this season.
He’s putting his time with the last-place Nationals behind him, though.
“It’s new life,” Soroka said. “Kind of like a new start to the season for me. You get some long days in July. You’re looking forward to this [MLB] trade deadline and seeing what happens. Obviously, joining a team like this, it’s a new breath of adrenaline and life. So looking to take that through the end of the season and, hopefully, help this team compete for a World Series.”
Cubs Gearing Up to Add 2 Rehabbing Starters