Another Cubs arm lands on the injured list. Matthew Boyd's bicep strain sidelines him, forcing Javier Assad into the rotation as injuries cripple the pitching staff.
The injuries continue to pile up for the Chicago Cubs.
Just one day after Cade Horton landed on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain, the Cubs have placed left-hander Matthew Boyd on the 15-day IL. Boyd is currently dealing with a left bicep strain and will be out for at least the next two weeks.
It’s unclear when Boyd injured his bicep, but this is another big-time loss for the Cubs' pitching group. The North Siders are already down their Opening Day starter and their No. 2 starter just 12 days into the new season.
Losing Boyd for an extended period of time does hurt this rotation a bit. Although the southpaw gave up six earned runs across 3 ⅔ innings in his first start, he bounced back by delivering 5 ⅔ innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts against the Angels last week.
Boyd’s stuff has also played extremely well in the early going. He has totaled 40 whiffs in his first two starts and currently ranks in the 93rd percentile or better in chase rate (41.1%), whiff rate (45.5%), and strikeout rate (45.9%) among all pitchers.
Boyd will now head to the IL for the first time in his Cubs tenure. He stayed healthy throughout the 2025 campaign, but injuries have played a major role in his career. The left-hander has thrown more than 100 innings in a season just once since 2020.
Both Boyd and the Cubs are hoping this IL stint isn’t too long. That appears to be the case, as manager Craig Counsell told reporters that the 35-year-old will have a minimum stay on the IL. Since this move is retroactive to April 3, the earliest that he could return is next weekend.
In the meantime, Javier Assad is expected to fill Boyd’s spot in the rotation. Assad started the year with the Triple-A Cubs, but he will be the corresponding move for Boyd.
Assad has already made two starts with the Iowa Cubs in the early going. He threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts back on March 27 and then allowed seven earned runs (eight runs) on 11 hits with two strikeouts across four innings last week.
Assad will officially start in place of Boyd on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He will then make another start early next week. The right-hander is guaranteed two turns in the rotation before Boyd is potentially back.