Cubs have rotation decisions to make with Jameson Taillon nearing a return

PHOENIX — It isn’t obvious what the Cubs will do to make room in their rotation for Jameson Taillon when he returns from the injured list.

Javier Assad and Ben Brown, who stepped in as starters when Taillon (strained back) and left-hander Justin Steele (strained left hamstring) landed on the IL, have made it a hard decision.

“Where I sit is that we have plenty of innings to cover and plenty of pitches to be thrown,” manager Craig Counsell said before Tuesday’s 12-11 10-inning loss to the Diamondbacks, “where our job is to get outs and to just figure out a way to navigate through the game and get 27 outs.”

Taillon is lined up to start Thursday against the Marlins at Wrigley Field. But the Cubs could always adjust their plan before then. They have not announced probable pitchers for the Marlins series.

While Taillon was on the IL, he spent as much time with the team as his rehab schedule allowed. And he said watching Assad and Brown perform has been “super awesome.”

“Assad, it’s what he did last year, too,” Tallon said, “Just super underappreciated leaguewide. Just does whatever is asked and does it at a really high level.

“And then Ben Brown, I think for everyone here, was someone that stood out in spring training. A lot of us were talking amongst ourselves ... just acted like he belongs while also getting to know everyone, and just made a really good impression off the field and obviously on it. So, not surprised.”

Assad has the second-best ERA (2.16) of the starters on the Cubs’ active roster, behind only Shota Imanaga’s pristine 0.00.

Brown has improved every outing. He recorded the first quality start of his career in the 3-2 victory Monday night against the Diamondbacks, allowing one run and one hit in six innings.

“Ben Brown was excellent,” Counsell said after that game. “It’s pretty exciting to see what he’s done in his three stints as a starter, basically. ... He’s earned innings, for sure, and we’ll keep getting him innings.”

Among the starters, veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks has struggled the most early this season.

“Kyle just wants to have a good start,” Counsell said Tuesday, before Hendricks went 4⅓ innings against the Diamondbacks in his fourth start of the season. “He just wants to get people out, give your team a chance to win. You need success, that’s what helps you get past stretches like this.”

Hendricks allowed seven runs, two homers, five hits and three walks. He became the first Cubs pitcher to allow at least five earned runs in each of his first four starts of the season since 1913, when earned runs became an official stat in both leagues, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

“The mechanics, how it’s coming out, my stuff, a lot better,” Hendricks said after the game. “Bottom of the zone’s better. I’m mixing missing eye levels. But the focus and the mental part, clearly that’s the biggest part of the game, so there’s something there that I need to lock in on and make an adjustment.”

In theory, the Cubs could go with a six-man rotation, but because of the 13-pitcher roster limit, it would impact the bullpen. The Cubs have an off day Monday, which they could use to skip a starter’s next turn in the rotation or temporarily put one of them in the bullpen. Or, they could decide on a longer-lasting role shift.

Both Brown and Assad have experience out of the bullpen and, if used as relievers, would likely be multi-inning options.

The Cubs brought up another multi-inning reliever late last week in right-hander Keegan Thompson.

Thompson has yet to allow a hit in two outings. Monday, he pitched the 10th and 11th innings and shut down the Diamondbacks, facing just one over the minimum.

“What he did was just so exciting, not only for him to get that result, but just the raw stuff that he showed in that game,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “It looked really dominant, like we’ve seen from him in the past. And just incredibly happy for him.”

When the Cubs were already without two starters one game into the season, they looked to be facing a huge hurdle. Having several viable paths forward now is a best-case scenario.