Rea struck out just two and only generated four swings and misses over his 73 pitches, but still was able to hold the Pittsburgh offense in check. He allowed a solo homer to Bryan Reynolds in the first and an RBI single to Oneil Cruz two innings later, but then blanked Pittsburgh over the final three frames. Rea has been excellent in 2025 with a 1.46 ERA, and while it’s entirely unsustainable, the results are the results. There’s still risk in using him as a fantasy option against the Giants next week.

Any team could have picked up Rea and his $5.5 million club option after he was waived by the Brewers in November, but they all passed. The Cubs signed him for $5 million in January, and he’s since come through with a 0.96 ERA in three starts and three relief appearances. He’ll be in the rotation for the foreseeable future, and while he’s definitely not an every-week guy in mixed leagues, he’ll make sense as a streaming option in a road start against the Pirates next time out.

Rea, still getting stretched back out after opening up as a reliever, fanned five in the 69-pitch outing. The Cubs have Monday and Thursday off next week, and they might have Javier Assad ready to return by the time they would need a fifth starter again. However, there’s also the possibility they could also keep Rea in the rotation and send Ben Brown to the pen or the minors to make room for Assad.

The right-hander piled up five strikeouts on the night while issuing only one base on balls. The only run that the Dodgers were able to muster against him in the game came on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Enrique Hernandez in the second inning. Rea got nine swings and misses on 68 pitches in the ballgame — six of those on his fastball — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. With Justin Steele shelved, he may have an opportunity to make another start for the Cubs until Javier Assad (oblique) is ready to take over that rotation spot. That start would come on Saturday against the Diamondbacks.