Hunter Bigge provided an interesting look out of Craig Counsell’s bullpen.

He’ll now serve as minor-league depth for the Cubs.

The rookie was optioned to Triple-A Iowa before Sunday’s finale in St. Louis as Javier Assad was kept on the active roster. Assad had been activated off the 15-day IL on Saturday and served as the 27th man during the doubleheader.

The Cubs needed to send a player down to return to 26 players on their active roster and Bigge was their choice. He pitched Friday and Saturday and figured to be down Sunday. He sandwiched a pair of solid outings around his first struggle in the majors.

Saturday, with the Cubs leading 5-0 in the 9th and carrying a 32-inning shutout streak, Bigge allowed a run on a hit and 2 walks while recording just one out. Counsell turned to Héctor Neris to pick up the final two outs in the win. The 26-year-old bounced back on Saturday, striking out 2 in a perfect 7th inning in an 11-3 loss in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Bigge opened eyes in his major league debut — he pitched the final inning in the Cubs’ 9-2 win on July 9, touching triple digits.

It’s fair to say it won’t be the last time Bigge will be in the majors, but with the way the roster shakes out, Bigge was the odd man out this time.

Assad struggled in his first start back from a forearm injury. The righty allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, including 2 home runs and a pair of walks. He threw 44 pitches across 2.1 innings. He had been one of the Cubs’ best starters to open the year, Assad carried a 1.70 ERA through his first 10 starts. But the righty hit a road bump in his next 6 outings before landing on the IL.

The Cubs’ rotation has been a strong point this season. Cubs starters have a 3.65 ERA this season, the 8th-best mark in the majors. If Assad can return to some form of the pitcher he was to open the year, it gives the Cubs another viable weapon in a major strength for the team.

They’ll also have some depth with Hayden Wesneski, who took Assad’s spot in the rotation during his injury. The Cubs could keep Wesneski in the rotation in some capacity post-All-Star break if they choose. They play 5 straight games before a day off coming out of the Midsummer Classic but then go on a 13-game stretch without a day off where an extra starter could be favorable to have.