Just days after rising star Cade Horton hit the injured list, the Chicago Cubs announced on Monday, April 6, that ace Matthew Boyd will be joining him. The Chicago Cubs rotation takes another monstrous hit, as the team will open a road series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday afternoon.
Chicago Cubs News: Matthew Boyd Injury
The Chicago Cubs are placing Boyd on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 3, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Right-hander Javier Assad will be recalled from the minors and is expected to start tomorrow’s game. For a Chicago Cubs team that handed Boyd the Opening Day nod just 11 days ago, this is the kind of early-season gut punch that forces a front office to confront its depth — fast.
The timing of Boyd’s overall injury is pretty terrible. Rising star Cade Horton left his start over the weekd and also hit the injured list with foremarm tightness.
Matthew Boyd’s Rocky Start With the Chicago Cubs in 2026
Boyd’s two starts this season have been a rollercoaster. He got roughed up on Opening Day against the Nationals, surrendering six runs in 3.2 innings while striking out seven. Then he flipped the script on April 1 against the Angels, punching out 10 batters in a 6-2 Cubs win. That leaves him at 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 17 strikeouts in just 9.1 innings on the year — the arm talent is obviously still there, but the bicep strain is a gut-check moment.
The 35-year-old southpaw has been down this road before. Boyd signed a two-year, $29 million deal with the Cubs in December 2024 after a successful return from Tommy John surgery, then turned in a monster 2025 — going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 154 strikeouts across 179.2 innings, earning his first All-Star nod. Another IL trip is the last thing Cubs fans wanted to see from a pitcher who’d finally proven he could stay healthy for a full season.
What This Means for the Chicago Cubs in 2026
There is a silver lining here. Sharma reports that both Boyd and manager Craig Counsell feel it’s a small issue that should require only a minimal IL stint. Assad stepping into the rotation is the immediate band-aid, and it’s not a bad one — the Cubs leaned on him in this exact role last season, and he has big-league starting experience.
But Boyd going down is the third blow to a Cubs rotation that’s already reeling. The Cubs still have Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, and Shota Imanaga holding down three spots, with Colin Rea likely jumping from the bullpen to the rotation as well.
The next two weeks will tell the Cubs — and their fans — whether Boyd’s bicep is a speed bump or something worse.
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