2026 Stats
W-L
1-1
ERA
8.10
WHIP
1.60
K
6
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Assad didn't make his 2025 debut until Aug. 12, as he missed significant time due to a strained oblique. Once he returned, the righty made eight appearances (seven starts) for the Cubs, though he also spent some time with Triple-A Iowa. It was a relatively small sample in the majors, but the 28-year-old at least looked fairly sharp with a 3.65 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 23 strikeouts across 37 innings. Assad has talent, though there are questions about his role moving forward with the Cubs. Chicago seemingly has a full rotation with Shota Imanaga, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea, as well as Justin Steele (elbow) once he's fully healthy. That could push Assad into more of a long-relief role, which he excelled in back in 2023 when he posted a 3.05 ERA and 94 strikeouts across 109.1 innings. Of course, long relievers don't move the needle as much in fantasy, so Assad will have significantly less value if he's not starting regularly for the Cubs. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Cubs in January of 2026.
Disastrous in first loss
Assad (1-1) took the loss Monday against the Phillies, allowing nine runs on 11 hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Analysis
After pitching 5.2 shutout innings in his season debut versus the Rays, Assad faltered in a much tougher spot against Philadelphia's potent lineup. The nine runs allowed were a career worst, and the 11 knocks given up were also a career worst for the right-hander. Matthew Boyd (biceps) is on track to rejoin the Cubs' rotation early next week against the Phillies, so Assad's next start may not come at the major-league level if Boyd is indeed ready to return by then.
After pitching 5.2 shutout innings in his season debut versus the Rays, Assad faltered in a much tougher spot against Philadelphia's potent lineup. The nine runs allowed were a career worst, and the 11 knocks given up were also a career worst for the right-hander. Matthew Boyd (biceps) is on track to rejoin the Cubs' rotation early next week against the Phillies, so Assad's next start may not come at the major-league level if Boyd is indeed ready to return by then.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
81
Last 10 Games
81
Last 5 Games
81
How many pitches does Javier Assad generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Javier Assad generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-1%
BAA vs LHP
2026
-3%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .253 | 89 | 41 | 97 | 12 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .256 | 64 | 38 | 91 | 13 | |||
| 2026vs Left | .304 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | |||
| 2026vs Right | .294 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .293 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .205 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .242 | 75 | 35 | 73 | 8 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .269 | 49 | 28 | 70 | 12 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-51%
ERA at Home
2026
-100%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 2.50 | 1.32 | 86.1 | 7.5 | 4.3 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 5.10 | 1.42 | 107.2 | 6.8 | 3.2 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2026Away | 8.10 | 1.60 | 10.0 | 5.4 | 3.6 | ||||
| 2025Home | 2.65 | 1.12 | 17.0 | 7.4 | 3.2 | ||||
| 2025Away | 4.50 | 1.30 | 20.0 | 4.1 | 2.7 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.47 | 1.37 | 69.1 | 7.5 | 4.5 | ||||
| 2024Away | 4.87 | 1.43 | 77.2 | 7.6 | 3.2 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Javier Assad compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.50K/9
5.4BB/9
3.6HR/9
1.8Fastball
93.1 mphERA
8.10WHIP
1.60BABIP
.311GB/FB
1.07Left On Base
53.0%Exit Velocity
84.0 mphBarrels/BBE
3.3%Spin Rate
2069 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
26.2%Swinging Strike
6.2%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
Assad transitioned from being a long-relief bullpen option to serving as a full-time starter in 2024, and the righty held his own. He made 29 starts and logged a career-high 147 innings while posting a 3.73 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Assad struck out 7.59 batters per nine innings, which was in line with his 7.74 mark from a season earlier. His fastball came down from an average velocity of 92.9 mph in 2023 to 91.5 mph last year, which was likely a result of trying to conserve more energy and last longer in games. Now that he has this season of starting experience under his belt, the 27-year-old could be primed to take another step forward in 2025. Assad is likely to set another new career high in innings if he stays healthy, and he will also look to finish the season stronger, as he posted a 5.82 ERA across his final six starts of 2024. That's not too surprising for a pitcher getting used to the rigors of being a full-time MLB starter. Assad's lack of big strikeout numbers caps his upside, but he should be a useful fantasy option this season with some room for growth.
More Fantasy News
Awarded another start
`Assad will start Monday's game against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Analysis
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Steps up with good performance
Assad (1-0) tossed 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Rays, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out three.
Analysis
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Recalled, entering rotation
The Cubs recalled Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and will have him start Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Could be needed for MLB rotation
With Cade Horton (forearm) set to land on the injured list, Assad is an option to get promoted from the minors and fill his rotation spot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Sent to minors
The Cubs optioned Assad to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Marquee Sports Network reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Rotation spot likely secured
According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Assad is expected to enter 2025 with a secure spot at the back end of the Cubs' rotation.
Analysis
The 27-year-old has struggled in his past four starts with a 16 earned runs allowed and 18:10 K:BB across 21 innings, but he's been effective overall this year with a 3.73 ERA through 29 starts. The Cubs are expected to bolster their rotation this winter, but Assad should still enter spring training as the favorite for the No. 5 job even if a front-line starter is added.
The 27-year-old has struggled in his past four starts with a 16 earned runs allowed and 18:10 K:BB across 21 innings, but he's been effective overall this year with a 3.73 ERA through 29 starts. The Cubs are expected to bolster their rotation this winter, but Assad should still enter spring training as the favorite for the No. 5 job even if a front-line starter is added.