The Cubs are placing left-hander Matthew Boyd on the 15-day injured list with a left bicep strain, retroactive to April 3rd, reports Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Right-hander Javier Assad will be recalled from the minors and will start tomorrow’s game.
There wasn’t any prior indication that Boyd was hurt, as he took the ball for the first two turns to start the year. The first one didn’t go well, as Boyd allowed six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He bounced back on Wednesday, tossing 5 2/3 against the Angels, striking out ten while allowing just two earned runs. For what it’s worth, his velocity did drop. His fastball averaged 93.3 miles per hour in the first outing but was down to 92.2 in the second.
On its own, it doesn’t appear to be a disastrous development. Sharma adds that Boyd and manager Craig Counsell feel it’s a small issue that will require a minimal IL stint. Regardless, it’s a bit worrisome in the larger context of the club’s rotation. They started the year with Justin Steele still working his way back from last year’s surgery. He is on the 60-day injured list and is therefore out until at least late May. Cade Horton landed on the IL last week due to forearm discomfort. His status is still up in the air but that’s a worrisome diagnosis.
Losing Boyd is another hit for a group that is already snakebit. They do still have Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in three spots. Assad was optioned to the minors to start the year but will now come back up and slot in behind those three. It’s expected that Colin Rea, who began the season in the bullpen, will probably jump to the rotation as well.
As far as fallback plans go, Assad and Rea are pretty good. Assad has a 3.43 earned average over 331 career innings. He only really got nudged out of the season-opening rotation because he still has options. Rea posted a 3.95 ERA in a swing role last year and the Cubs clearly value his ability to move fairly seamlessly between starting and relieving. They restructured his deal in November to give him a bit of extra cash and keep him around while adding a club option for 2027.
Despite Assad and Rea being decent contingencies, it’s less than ideal for the rotation to lose two guys in a span of a few days. The remaining 40-man guys on optional assignment are relievers. Ben Brown is perhaps an option to make a start or two but he’s in the big league bullpen. Prospect Jaxon Wiggins is in Triple-A but isn’t on the 40-man and is still showing big control issues, with a 13.9% walk rate so far this year. In terms of non-roster guys with big league experience, Vince Velasquez tossed five innings yesterday in a Triple-A start yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Avoid the Boyd! He ruins pizzas.
He’s on my fantasy team but this cheered me up lol
I suppose Assad deserves the shot but the fact is he hasn’t been very good in 2 starts so far. Wiggins has 1 good start and 1 bad one, And Vince Velasquez? Assad has the Major League pedigree so should get 1st crack. When Horton went own he had just pitched the day before and got pounded. Now with 2 guys out there really isn’t a big choice. I like Sanders and Noland but nobody else seems to. Tallion has been bad all year going back to the WBC. Lot’s of early injuries to a bunch of teams. Horton is still the one that hurts worst. Can’t wait for that MRI.
I noticed Taillon’s fastball sits at 90 mph, occasionally 91. Seemed last year it was a couple ticks up.
Assad goes tonight, hopefully it won’t take him 100 pitches to get through 5 innings, and giving up 3–4 runs, as seems to be his history.
This better not end up being like ‘85 where the entire starting rotation went down in like a 3 week stretch.
I remember that. By the end of the season they had so many players on the DL they almost didn’t have enough to fill the 25-man.
The 1985 Cubs were the biggest letdown for me since I’ve been following baseball and that’s a long time. For like two months, nobody on that team could hit a curveball and I think they even had a 13 game losing streak in there.
Guess you weren’t let down when they had to win one of three to go to the 1984 World Series and lost all three.
Bop What am I supposed to do? Mention every single thing that’s ever happened in the world in all of history? Should I just mention 127 things maybe? Sorry I didn’t get to every single point that should’ve been made in all of history of mankind. I was just glad they made it to the playoffs and 84 the loss hurt but whatever.
*sigh*
Steele, Horton and Boyd on IL.
Ouch.
Cabrera, Shota, Taillon, Rea and Assad.
Glad management did not listen to the bloggers who wanted to dump Taillon after the Cabrera acquisition.
Depth both tested and gone by game ten.
Fairly critical week upon us. Toughest stretch of season starts next week. Phl-NYM-Phl-LAD-SD. Need to get through April touching .500. Much like last season–April is the toughest month, albeit what should have been a nice takeoff.
The real problem isn’t the starters. The real problem once again is the starting bullpen Hoyer is again putting together. The problem once again is that the Cubs will be down again and chasing by May and looking for more Hoyer Bargains for the bullpen. Except this year he hasn’t left himself any money in the budget to get some because he had to have Bregman at 35 million because he couldn’t stand that Shaw was capable of getting the job done. Now Bregman will be fine but what was ore IMPORTANT? A reliable bullpen or a 3B we didn’t really need? Either you’re a smart Tax team or you’re not. Hoyer is NOT. 35 million would have re signed Keller and got him some reliable friends not named Hoby Milner and Webb.
You speak with great conviction, uncle Mike. You excel at telling us everything the Cubs did wrong, but you seem unable to say with any specificity what they should do now. Fix the bullpen? Ok, who do they try to get, for how much, what do they have to offer in return, and what makes you think other teams would be open to a trade? It’s easy to tell us what went wrong after the fact.
Let’s be honest Uncle—you spent the entire summer last year spitting on Hoyer for not going to $75M+ for Tanner Scott—who quite honestly was the worst reliever in all of baseball last year. Led the majors in blown saves before his season ending injury. That was right after trumpeting Gage Workman as untouchable and he needed to be the starting third baseman.
Appreciate your opinions and passion always, but when it comes to third base and relief pitching I’m being friendly in saying I’m staying away from your input there.
(Remember a couple years ago when you told all of us, about 1 against 15—that “Morel only needs reps.”
You must be starting to age badly. I never said Gage Workman was untouchable. And I did say Morel needed some more reps because he has all the tools needed to play 3B but as we know tools aren’t everything. Tanner Scott had a bad year yeah it happens and this year he’s been in 6 games with a 0.86 WHIP and some other good stats. So he’s not closing anymore because the Dodgers throw money around like candy and went out and got Edwin Diaz too. Some say Scott was injured IDK. I’ve been watching the Cubs flounder til May for the last few years and Hoyer is doing the same dumb crap over and over. Maybe you love it. About the only move in the pen he made I even thought was worth it was Hunter Harvey but he’s not exactly wowing anybody but he has SOME upside and a past. If anything happens to Palencia or he falters this could be another really bad Spring and I for one am tired of looking at it. A rule 5 pick is untouchable? Are ya kidding? LMAO I also said the most important guy to sign was Keller but your selective memory is failing you again. You remember all the things I say that don’t work or change them to suit your narrative but I can take it. I never said I was right all the time. I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken.
There is no selective memory—you wrote it…it’s right here. Your words.
Here you go uncle—you didn’t say “untouchable”–you said STARTING 3B in all caps and said Workman needed to be kept all year at all cost no matter what.
(I translated keeping Workman at all costs all year no matter what as untouchable)
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/the-opener-red-sox-cubs…
You listed ten points—all ten proved wrong.
You made zero mention of zero mention of Keller. (another after the fact observation)
At the time I believe the choices were
1. Vidal Brujan
2. Justin Turner
3. Jon Berti or Workman
That doesn’t say untouchable you just threw that in yourself. The statement stands on it’s own and is true. Shaw wasn’t in the picture yet.
The Bulls just launched AK and Eversley. Cubs should have done it last year.
And I posted this under the Keller article right after the season. Another complete lie by you.
Unclemike1526
6 months ago
This is the best news I’ve heard this week. I think he deserves a big raise and a decent contract and is a must re sign. I’m still on the fence about about picking up Kittredge’s 9 million dollar option but giving Keller his props and a big raise should be #1 on Jed’s to do list. He solidified the back end of the pen all year and with Palencia, Little and Hodge gives the Cubs a lot of back end options. Maybe they don’t need a true Closer any more and Jed gets off the hook for 2026 depending on what happens with the lockout.
Now TBH Hodge is hurt again and Little has gone from throwing strikes at the end of last year to looking completely lost again and it might be time to cut bait on him. Awesome specimen who doesn’t seem to get it.
Now to the Crux of my point an informal Poll Cubs fans. Feel free to tell your friends.
Hypothetical- If the Dodgers came to the Cubs and said they were tired of paying Tanner Scott at whatever he makes and asked the Cubs for Suzuki( And he waived his NTC) so he could go play with his Japanese friends would you make that deal to stay under the tax? I would for one make that deal in a heartbeat. People?
What do you mean Matt Shaw wasn’t in the picture yet? Shaw was the starting third baseman on Opening Day last year.
Like realsox said above—and I do love your conviction–I really do, but 98% of the time it’s a knee jerk reaction to something gone bad and you point the finger at Hoyer.
Your rant yesterday was based on the Cubs bullpen blowing game two in Cleveland and how the Cubs don’t have Brad Keller anymore.
Sure, I would like to have Brad Keller also—but it’s April 7th. Let’s see how that pans out over a season. His 5+ ERA wouldn’t be a good sign here if how that’s how he finishes—but he won’t—there are over 150 games left.
Was Shaw really here though? I think we all knew unless he hit .700 he had his ticket back to Iowa in his locker from day 1. Your continuous backing of a guy who’s moves defy logic every single day also amazes the crap out of me. He can’t find bullpen guys unless his back is against the wall and has been completely unable to get Counsell any kind of bench he can use since he’s been there. Yet people are still backing him. And yeah there’s 150 games left and Hoyer has assembled a staff of injured P’s. Cabrera, Boyd, Steele and trading away a bunch of top prospects all the time. Now they kept the one I would be glad to trade in Ballesteros and he’s struggling and really has only has one skill his bat and you can’t even really play him in the field and you want me to be what? Optimistic? OK I’m optimistic.I know Bregman will hit, Hopefully Ballesteros too because if he doesn’t he is totally useless but that doesn’t help the pen at all. Now in all likelihood Shaw will have to be dealt and probably Wiggins too for help this year to fix his errors from this year. I mean was Bregman really the best use of those funds? If you say yes, I’m pretty sure you’re fooling yourself. If you’re going to bash me fine like I said I can take it, It’s fine. But if you’re going to do that do it on WHAT I SAID, Not WHAT YOU INTERPRET I SAID PLEASE. But as always dialogue is fun and I’ll agree to disagree with you on Hoyer. I still think he’s horrible. Have fun!
They could have passed, on Maton. He looks miserable. And two years, yet. I don’t understand why Brad Keller wasn’t a priority.
Makes 2 of us Bone.
Giolito would be a good add for the Cubbies
That’s a joke right?
No more of a joke than the Cubs current rotation.
Be a bigger joke with Giolito in it.
Easily an improvement to what they have.
This is problem when you mix pepperoni with mushroom, you get a half jacked rotation lead by “snickerdoodle cookie” Imanaga who stinks to absolute high heaven.
Come on now, Imanaga is not that bad. The man had an 0.99 WHIP last year.
He’s fine but if he were an orange, how much juice are really getting (Not even trying to mention the pulp!) if his fastball goes under 95 he’s toaster strudel period, he was LIT up last season in the second half.
More Hoyer decisions gone bad.
Bullpen by cheap( Again )
Not bringing Alcantara north when Suzuki went down. Anybody with eyes could see he was the choice. 4 HR’s already
Trading Caissie for Cabrera. Cabrera is fine. Did he REALLY have to move Caissie to get it done?
Apparently Justin Turner MIGHT just really be PCA’s spirit guide. Couldn’t they have kept him around as Coach in charge of counting baseballs or something?
Conforto AND Carlson? Was that really necessary? Were EITHER of them? CC wouldn’t even give Carlson a start in a DH. That’s not a joke.
Hey it’s only Apr 6th. Can’t get worse can it. Hope you’re all not hoping for bullpen help from Iowa. It’s on fire. Literally
Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah the last 5 years in a row.
Lucky for them there’s not much on TV in the summer.
Antony Rizzo can pitch.
So can Joey Gallo.
Yeah, a left-handed starter has a left bicep problem and the Cubs aren’t worried.
Bicep injuries have harmed several teams.
It’s biceps, not bicep, always!
Psssst. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell Brett Taylor or Evan Altman. Don’t tell the massive Marquee PR machine. But the Cubs aren’t very good this season.
Hi, Alan. How was vacation?
Loved Boyd in Detroit. When he’s on he’s on but he’s also an injury waiting to happen
The way this season is going Counsell doesn’t make it through the year and if he does, he’s gone straight after. He’s done absolutely nothing for this team. All that hype was just that. Hype
It’s early. Been a tough start to the season. The Cubs could be 10-12 games out of 1st by Mother’s Day.
Like a combination Groundhogs Day and Deja Vu huh Fred?
If someone who knew nothing about baseball, or race relations in the US for that matter, had watched today’s game, he would come away saying something like: “Gee, one team has a lot of large, dark-skinned men who can hit the ball hard and over the fence. The other team has no such men. I wonder why the other team doesn’t get some guys like that, so they could compete better.” That’s what I wonder too. It’s like Hoyer has decided to play with a handicap.
And it’s puzzling. A nice Jewish boy like Hoyer is unlikely to be a racist; he was raised in the Reform Jewish tradition, emphasizing tolerance and social responsibility. He’s not a conscious racist. But he might be guilty of a sort of “soft racism,” where he unconsciously associates the self-presentation of (some) black players with not being a team player, not trusting the process, not being consistent, not “staying within oneself,” not “grinding it out,” and all that other stuff that is mostly clichés. His way of thinking has gotten him a very expensive last-place team, and it is going to stay there.
You must not know many Jews. Although i agree w a lot of what you wrote
It’s interesting: There is another team that is ALMOST as determinedly, as intentionally white as the Cubs–the Orioles. And the Orioles have the same joyless, hidebound, grim quality that the Cubs have. They don’t score as many runs as analytics projections would suggest, they don’t seem to play with energy or confidence, they see rarely beat more diverse teams.
Now, it is not that black players are better than white players. It is that a TEAM with both kinds, with players who have different backgrounds and attitudes and approaches and coping strategies is better than a team without. And that is something that fantasy-league analytics cannot measure.