Craig Counsell provides Matthew Boyd update

Ahead of Tuesday’s game for the Cubs, manager Craig Counsell provided a positive update regarding Boyd. He revealed that Boyd will be making a rehab start on Sunday for the Iowa Cubs. Counsell mentioned that he will have two rehab starts before returning to Chicago’s rotation. Boyd suffered a freak injury when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee while going to sit down to play with his children. He suffered the injury on May 4 and recovered from surgery in only a few weeks.

Boyd has been struggling throughout the season, so maybe the chance to reset would help him. He has already pitched off a mound as he threw a 52-pitch simulated game on Tuesday. He has made five starts this season, but is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.292 WHIP across 24.0 innings. Boyd is coming off his best season in 2025, when he made his first All-Star team, but has failed to replicate that in 2026.

The Cubs could certainly use Boyd to eat innings in the starting rotation. Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, and Justin Steele are all also on the injured list, so this is a chance for a veteran to help the pitching staff. It looks like Boyd will be returning during the team’s road trip in the second week of June against the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. It will be intriguing to see how Boyd looks with a few weeks off from pitching every fifth day.