Matthew Boyd Dominant In Rehab Start, Could Return Next Week
· Yahoo Sports
The Chicago Cubs should be getting back one of their key rotation arms very soon.
Mathew Boyd made his first rehab assignment start since suffering a setback last week. Boyd was expected to return last weekend after tearing his meniscus on May 6. However, shoulder soreness prevented the veteran from being activated from the 15-day injured list at that time.
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His shoulder has improved enough for the Cubs to send him on a rehab assignment. He was sent to High-A South Bend to start Saturday’s game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Boyd looked good in that start, throwing four shutout innings with two hits and seven strikeouts. After allowing two singles in the first inning, the southpaw retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced before departing.
It’s a nice sign to see Boyd shoving in his most recent rehab start. This outing with the South Bend Cubs marks his third overall rehab start since partially tearing his meniscus earlier last month.
The Cubs veteran allowed three runs (two earned runs) with two strikeouts across four innings for the Iowa Cubs on May 31, gave up five runs with five strikeouts across five innings for the Iowa Cubs again on June 6, and just threw four scoreless innings with the South Bend Cubs on Saturday.
It’s unclear whether Boyd will need another rehab start or if the Cubs plan to activate him off the 15-day IL sometime next weekend.
There is a strong chance, though, that Boyd will need another rehab start. He only threw 59 pitches in his most recent outing with the South Bend Cubs, which means he isn’t fully built up yet.
Chicago would likely want one more outing down in the minors to get his pitch count up. Boyd was built up to 80 pitches before he suffered a setback last weekend. Another start at any of the affiliates would get him closer to that 80-pitch mark.
It has been an injury-riddled 2026 campaign so far for Boyd. He missed three weeks due to a bicep strain in April, tore his meniscus in early May, and dealt with some shoulder soreness last week.
But his return is on the horizon.
Boyd will be activated from the IL this upcoming week or the week after. He will replace either Colin Rea or Javier Assad in the rotation, and the demoted starter will likely move to the bullpen to provide some much-needed length.