One Chicago Cubs pitcher left Iowa to continue his dream. The other left in the continuation of a nightmare.
On Wednesday, the Cubs called up right-hander Chris Flexen. A seven-year veteran who signed a minor league contract with Chicago during the offseason, Flexen was 3-0 in five starts at Iowa, with a 1.16 ERA, 21 strikeouts and eight walks in 23.1 innings.
To make room for Flexen on the 40-man roster, the Cubs also announced that right-hander Javier Assad was moved to the 60-day injured list.
Cubs Move Javier Assad to 60-Day IL To Open Spot For Chris Flexen
Assad had been pitching for Iowa as he continued his comeback from a strained left oblique. He initially informed the Cubs about the discomfort in his lower ribcage area at the beginning of spring training, and Assad opened the regular season on the 15-day IL, with the expectation that he would be with the Cubs by late April or early May.
However, in his second rehab start April 22 against Louisville, Assad had to leave the game early. After pitching four innings and giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts, Assad felt a sharp pain while warming up for the fifth inning, bringing his night to a premature end.
And bringing his return to Chicago to an uncertain future.
“He re-aggravated basically the same injury,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “No timelines as of right now.”
Chris Flexen Hopes To Reestablish Himself as a Major League Starter
For Flexen, the move gives him a chance to reestablish himself as a major league pitcher on the North Side of Chicago after a season of frustration on the South Side.
Originally a 14th-round pick of the New York Mets in the 2022 draft, Flexen was a Class 4 shuttle hopper for the Mets from 2017 to 2019, appearing in a total of 27 games, 11 as a starter. In 2022, Flexen played professionally for the Doosan Bears of Korea’s Baseball Organization (KBO), where he started 21 games and went 8-4 with a 3.01 ERA, striking out 132 batters and walking 30 in 116.2 innings.
Flexen returned to MLB and signed with Seattle, where he had his best pro season in 2021, making 31 appearances, all starts, and going 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA. The next season, Flexen went 8-9 with a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts and 33 total appearances, but the wheels fell off and Seattle traded Flexen in early July 2023 to the Mets, who promptly released him.
Flexen was picked up by Colorado for the last month-plus of the 2023 season, and he signed with the White Sox the following offseason. During an otherwise forgettable 2024 campaign, Flexen proved to be a reliable member of the Chicago pitching staff, leading the team in innings pitched as he started 30 games in his 33 appearances.
Now, Flexen, who had an out in his contract requiring he be added to the big league roster before May 1, will slide into the rotation for a Cubs team still trying to figure out how to move forward after the loss of Justin Steele to season-ending shoulder surgery.
As for Assad, who has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain, Cubs fans should not expect to see him toe the rubber at Wrigley Field until late summer at the earliest.
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