Chicago Cubs announce 2026 Opening Day starting pitcher

The Cubs have officially announced who will be the starting pitcher when the team hosts the Washington Nationals two weeks from today. Veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd has been announced to get the ball in the team’s first game of the season. This will be the first time he pitches for the Cubs on Opening Day and the fifth consecutive different Opening Day starting pitcher.

Boyd had a solid 2025 season with the Cubs as the veteran went 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 179.2 innings over 31 starts. He made one appearance for Team USA out of the bullpen during this year’s World Baseball Classic and allowed three runs in 2.1 innings of work. Boyd is expected to leave the Team USA camp today ahead of the quarterfinals to prepare for Opening Day.

With the team trading for Edward Cabrera this offseason, there were a few options that manager Craig Counsell could have went to begin the season. However, this will be Boyd’s third career Opening Day start, pitching in 2020 and 2021 for the Detroit Tigers. He is expected to get another start or two in Spring Training to stretch himself out a bit more following the World Baseball Classic. It will be intriguing to see how Boyd pitches this season, as he can be a valuable player for Chicago this year.