Cubs Option Javier Assad, Kevin Alcántara to Triple-A Iowa in Spring Cuts

Javier Assad pitched well enough this spring to belong in a big-league bullpen. The Cubs sent him to Triple-A Iowa anyway.

Outfielder Kevin Alcántara and right-handed pitcher Javier Assad were optioned to Triple-A Iowa on March 24 as part of Chicago's final spring roster cuts, with manager Craig Counsell confirming the Assad decision publicly a day earlier. The Chicago Cubs reduced their Spring Training roster from 38 to 36 players to meet the regulatory limit, with the moves formalized out of Mesa, Arizona.

Assad's spring numbers were hard to argue with. The Cubs optioned Assad to Triple-A Iowa ahead of their game with the Yankees, despite a Cactus League showing that CBS Sports called terrific: three appearances, two runs allowed (one earned), an 8:1 K:BB ratio across 6.2 innings. Injuries limited the right-hander to just eight games in 2025, but he went 4-1 with a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings when healthy. His career ERA sits at 3.43 in 331 innings. Ben Brown made the team in Assad's place, earning the final bullpen spot and landing on the Opening Day roster while the Baja California native heads to Des Moines.

The roster dynamics around Assad were complicated long before the final cuts. He spent part of spring representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, starting games against Great Britain and Italy before Mexico was eliminated. While he was away from camp, non-roster invitees including Collin Snider, Trent Thornton, and Corbin Martin were competing for the same bullpen spot. As Northside Baseball's Matthew Trueblood noted before the cuts were announced, "a player that old, with as much big-league playing and service time as Assad has, rarely has to face the prospect of being optioned to the minor leagues." Assad will turn 29 in July.

On the pitching side of the roster, Assad will continue to work as a starter in Iowa; he had been in consideration for a bullpen role but will stay stretched out in Des Moines. The expectation from multiple analysts is that a call-up comes at some point in 2026, either as a long reliever or spot starter once the Cubs need pitching depth.

Alcántara, 23, had a shot at making the big-league roster out of Spring Training because of Seiya Suzuki's injury, but with Michael Conforto making the team and with the Cubs inclined to add another infielder, there may not have been a spot for him. Suzuki was placed on the 10-day injured list with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain and will miss at least the start of the regular season. Alcántara hit one home run, drove in four runs, and posted a .275/.326/.400 slash line across 40 at-bats this spring. He spent ten games with the big-league club last year, hitting .364/.417/.364, and posted 26 doubles, 17 home runs, and 69 RBI in 102 games at Iowa in 2025. Alcántara will be out of options after this season, which makes the timing of this assignment particularly pointed.

The Cubs opted instead to go with former Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, whose contract was selected to open a 40-man roster spot created by moving infielder Tyler Austin to the 60-day injured list.

Chicago's 36-player Spring Training roster consists of 19 pitchers (two non-roster invitees), four catchers (one non-roster invitee), seven infielders (one non-roster invitee), and six outfielders (three non-roster invitees). The Cubs open the 2026 regular season Thursday at Wrigley Field against the Washington Nationals.