The Cubs are bolstering the bullpen for their West Coast road trip amid a stretch of nine games in 10 days.

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Ahead of Game 2 in their series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., the team optioned right-hander Javier Assad to Triple-A Iowa and recalled lefty Jordan Wicks in a corresponding move.

Assad started Friday night’s 3-2 series-opening win over the Angels, throwing six innings of one-run ball while allowing just two hits. He had been activated that morning after veteran reliever Ryan Brasier was placed on the 15-day IL with a left groin strain.

[MORE: Cubs recall pitcher Javier Assad, place reliever Ryan Brasier on IL]

“We’re just making sure we get guys rest when it’s appropriate,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters of the roster move on Saturday.

Over the last three days, the Cubs’ bullpen has been put to work: Each of Daniel Palencia (38 pitches), Brad Keller (21), Andrew Kittredge (20), Drew Pomeranz (17) and Caleb Thielbar (17) has had a decent-sized workload. Only Taylor Rogers enters Saturday on three days of rest. Ben Brown has worked more at length, throwing 54 pitches in relief of Assad on Aug. 17, but he has not pitched since.

Given that Assad won’t be available for the next five days after throwing 72 pitches Friday, the roster move makes room for a fresh arm in the bullpen in Wicks.

“Obviously, Javi pitched very well (on Friday),” Counsell told reporters. “We just want to keep Javi stretched out as the next guy in line if something should happen (injury-wise) here, and pitch him on a regular schedule.”

Wicks, 25, has struggled in the big leagues this season, pitching to a 9.72 ERA in 8.1 innings of work that have been scattered across the last few months. He hasn’t made an appearance for the Cubs since July 11, when he allowed six earned runs on 10 hits over three innings in the Cubs’ 11-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

With Triple-A Iowa this season, Wicks has a 3.47 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched. He’s started in 13 of his 16 appearances.

In his most recent relief appearance for the I-Cubs on Aug. 15, Wicks threw 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out four. His last start came on Aug. 10, in which he allowed one earned run on three hits while racking up four punch outs over 4.2 innings.