Assad pitched four scoreless innings as the starter in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out three.
Assad was making his MLB debut, and while the four walks weren't great, he still pitched reasonably well against a solid St. Louis lineup. The 25-year-old was looking good at Triple-A Iowa before getting called up, recording a 2.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB across 36.2 innings. Assad might still get sent back down, though the Cubs appear set to give the rookie a longer look, with Keegan Thompson (back), Kyle Hendricks (shoulder), Alec Mills (back) and Wade Miley (shoulder) all out at the moment. Assad is tentatively set to start again Monday against the Blue Jays.