Cubs Suffer Another Devastating Injury to Starting Rotation

It’s been a few days since the last pitcher went on the injured list so you just knew another one was bound to come and this time it’s right-hander Javier Assad. Apparently the forearm strain is the signature injury for the 2024 Cubs as this is becoming a sad trend for the club this season.

Assad, 26, has been in the starting rotation since the beginning of the year and his inclusion to the starting five only happened after Jameson Taillon started the year on the injured list himself. Assad has been wonderful in the back end of the rotation this year, posting a 3.04 ERA through 16 starts. However, you could tell the righty really didn’t have much in the tank in his last start against the New York Mets on Sunday, when he failed to strikeout a batter and gave up four earned runs on seven hits and a walk in 4.1 innings.

The righty had an unbelievable 1.49 ERA through his first nine starts of the season.

So, Assad is going on the 15-day injured list and taking his place on the roster will be 33-year-old Vinny Nittoli. He was recently DFA’d by the Oakland A’s after posting a 2.25 ERA in 8 innings.

You can read more about Nittoli, who pitched at Triple-A for the Iowa Cubs last season, below.

It is absolutely insane how many injuries and specifically pitching injuries the Cubs have endured so far in 2024. A quick reminder just in case you’ve forgotten.

Jameson Taillon – 15-day IL, Back Strain
Justin Steele – 15-day IL, Hamstring Strain
Jordan Wicks – 15-day IL, Forearm Strain, 15-day IL, Oblique Strain
Kyle Hendricks – 15-day IL, Back Strain
Ben Brown – 15-day IL, Neck Strain
Javier Assad – 15-day IL, Forearm Strain

Oh and by the way, Cade Horton, the team’s No. 1 pitching prospect, is currently on the injured list at Triple-A as well.

And that’s just the prominent injuries to starting pitchers because the Cubs also have Yency Almonte, Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather and Caleb Kilian on the 60-day injured list, while Mark Leiter Jr. is currently on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain. Oh and earlier in the season Keegan Thompson hit the IL because of a viral illness and Daniel Palencia, who has made seven appearances with the Cubs this season, just came back to action at Triple-A after missing nearly three weeks with an injury.

Cursed season.