Javier Assad Injury: Looks sharp in rehab game

Assad (oblique) tossed three scoreless innings for the Cubs' Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday. He allowed one hit and struck out six.

It was the first game action for Assad since April and the righty looked sharp, albeit against lesser competition. The team will progress slowly with the 27-year-old, who has yet to pitch in the majors this season. The next steps for Assad will be to increase his workload and face more seasoned hitters, possibly at Triple-A Iowa. Once he's able to come off the IL, Assad could slot back into a rotation that lost Justin Steele (elbow) for the season and is also currently without Jameson Taillon (calf).