Chicago Cubs: Matthew Boyd dominates in latest rehab outing

Pitching for the South Bend Cubs against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Boyd worked four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven while delivering strikes in forty of his fifty-nine total pitches.

After a pair of singles in the first inning, the lefty shut things down and cruised the rest of the way in what would eventually be a 3-2 loss to the TinCaps. Of his seven Ks, three would come in the second, when he struck out the side following an error at shortstop.

Now, Boyd was pitching at the High-A level Saturday night, so a dominant performance was to be expected to a certain extent. The real positives to the outing, though, are that his velocity was reportedly in the normal range and there are no post-pitching day reports of soreness or fatigue, so far.

A tough year, but a needed return

The 35-year-old has been on the IL since May 6, after sustaining a freak injury to his meniscus that required surgery. He had two rehab outings at Triple-A Iowa after recovery and was scheduled to make his return around the first weekend of this month, but reported left shoulder soreness moved the team to give him more time off. He hasn’t pitched for the major league Cubs since May 3.

Boyd also had about a three-week stint on the IL in early April with a left biceps strain.

All in all, the Cubs’ most consistent starter throughout last season has only made five starts on the year, posting an ugly 6.00 ERA over just twenty-four innings.

But despite the poor numbers in his limited outings, Chicago absolutely needs a healthy Boyd to return to the starting rotation, even if he can just deliver a fraction of what he brought to the team in 2025.

The Cubs’ entire pitching staff has been shaken and strained by injury this season, but the rotation has been especially devastated. After losing emerging ace Cade Horton to Tommy John surgery after just his second start of the year, the team has had to deal with IL stints of Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Edward Cabrera, as well as the setback in former ace Justin Steele’s own recovery from elbow surgery last season.

Ben Brown’s surprising rise to prominence has been the only real, lasting positive development from a rotation that many pegged as one of the deepest in the league prior to the regular season. Entering Saturday’s game, the Cubs’ rotation had delivered a 4.68 ERA as a unit, the fifth worst in major league baseball.