Cubs Pitching Has Another Challenge To Overcome

It hasn’t been an easy first six weeks for the Chicago Cubs pitching staff. On Wednesday, the group came across a block in the road.

Matthew Boyd went on the 15-day injured list with a left meniscus injury before Wednesday’s game versus the Cincinnati Reds. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Boyd was on the ground with his kids when the injury occurred earlier that day. An MRI later helped determine he would need surgery.

Boyd underwent the surgery Thursday morning, according to reports from Wrigley Field, consisting of a partial meniscectomy in his left knee. Counsell mentioned to reporters Thursday the team is hopeful recovery will take about six weeks. So, it seems he won’t be out as long as initially feared.

Regardless, Boyd is on the IL, and it won’t be a minimum stint. Chicago’s pitching staff will once again have to step up and fill that role.

Boyd’s injury is another in an already long line of injuries that have tested Cubs pitching this season. Just for him alone, this is the 2025 All-Star’s second time on the shelf in 2026, which for the foreseeable future will limit him to only the five starts he’s made.

And he’s not the only arm bit by the injury bug.

Stats were taken prior to play on May 8.

Cubs Pitching Injury List Is Long

As far as rotation options go, Justin Steele recently had a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery. Assuming he does return this season, that target date is now further down the road.

Cade Horton’s own elbow surgery will keep him out for the rest of 2026 (and likely a few months into 2027). Jordan Wicks, another depth option, has been on the IL since the season started (and currently sports a 9.53 ERA through four rehab starts). Top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins, meanwhile, is on the minor league IL dealing with an elbow issue.

Those ailments have altered Chicago’s starting pitching outlook.

Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon have remained healthy thus far to anchor the rotation. Colin Rea moved into a starter’s for good April 8 and has been very reliable. Javier Assad stepped in for a couple of outings during Boyd’s initial IL stint, and though Ben Brown will get the ball in Boyd’s place Friday, Assad could still get some starts after that.

While the Cubs pitching staff is fortunate to have those depth pieces ready, that has also impacted a depleted bullpen.

The relief corps is now down a couple of arms (Rea and either of Assad or Brown) who were considered multi-inning options entering the season. Then, there are all the potential contributors currently on the shelf.

Porter Hodge won’t pitch again this year due to elbow surgery. Riley Martin (left elbow inflammation) is eligible to return Saturday, though eight weeks is reportedly the estimated timetable (which would take it into late June).

Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring strain), Hunter Harvey (right triceps inflammation) and Ethan Roberts (right middle finger laceration) are expected back this month, and Daniel Palencia (left oblique strain) and Phil Maton (right knee tendinitis) recently rejoined the bullpen. So, that group is getting healthier.

Still, Cubs pitching as a whole has dealt with big injury issues just 39 games into the season.

What’s the Path Forward Through the Latest Injury News?

Chicago has already had to go deep into its group of arms.

So far, 24 different arms have taken the mound for the Cubs. In fact, of the 15 pitchers on Triple-A Iowa’s Opening Day roster, 10 have already pitched for the big-league team.

“We’ve put Iowa in a tough spot a lot, because we’re just constantly getting arms from them,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters recently. “I feel badly about that, but that’s what has to happen.”

Fortunately, Chicago has thrived despite the injuries. The team has won 19 of its last 22 games. It is currently riding winning streaks of nine overall and 15 at home. It is 26-12, tied for the best record in baseball.

The position-player group, which entered Friday first in baseball in fWAR (9.6), has certainly led the way. But the Cubs pitching staff hasn’t fallen off.

After Thursday, Chicago pitchers combined for a 3.83 ERA (eighth in MLB) and a 1.20 WHIP (fifth). The rotation has a 3.77 ERA (seventh) and a 1.17 WHIP (sixth), while the bullpen’s ERA is 3.90 (12th) with a 1.24 WHIP (seventh). The whole group is still contributing to the team’s success, despite all the injury problems.

“We’ve had injuries, and we’ve dealt with a lot, and I feel like the group shows up ready to go every day, which has been really impressive,” Hoyer said. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch these guys find new ways to win.”

However, Hoyer and the front office must continue to search for potential external additions.

Hoyer has acknowledged time and time again how difficult it is to make bigger deals this early in the season. So, even though Boyd and Steele won’t rejoin the rotation for a while, don’t expect a major trade for a starter anytime soon. Maybe closer to the trade deadline, but it just feels unlikely at this point.

The bullpen is a different story. A big late-inning arm may not be on the move for a while, either, but Chicago has found undervalued pitchers early before. Recent example include Tyson Miller and Drew Pomeranz, in-season acquisitions who became high-leverage relievers.

Regardless of what the moves ultimately are, the ball club can’t just sit and wait. The front office can’t be reckless, but it should be aggressively scouring the market for other potential helping hands.

In any season, teams never feel as though they have enough pitching. With the wave of injuries affecting the Cubs pitching staff this season, that seems even more true. Even if it’s only for extra depth, it would be smart for Chicago to bring in more arms.

In the meantime, the Cubs will roll with what they have internally. Perhaps that’s enough to find even more guys who can step up and keep the winning going.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries early on, but the season goes on. The games go on,” Hoyer said. “You have to find replacements. Sometimes, I look at it as an opportunity that maybe a guy steps up that you didn’t expect, and then when everyone gets healthy, all of a sudden you have another reliever you weren’t counting on.”

“This is an opportunity for somebody,” Counsell told reporters Wednesday. “Through those opportunities, good things can happen. That’s how you have to see it.”