Matthew Boyd tossed four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in his first rehab start for High-A South Bend on Saturday night. Boyd threw 59 pitches and did not walk a batter. The only two hits he allowed were singles.
The 35 year old left hander restarted his rehab following a minor setback last week in which he complained of soreness in his left shoulder while throwing a bullpen session. The cubs had originally planned to slot Boyd back into the rotation last weekend against the Giants.
Boyd previously made two rehab starts for TRIPLE-A IOWA, The last of which came on June 6 before the shoulder soreness and all started to slowly creep in.
A first time All Star in 2025, Boyd has pitched to a 6.00 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings across five starts for the cubs this season. He is a year removed from posting a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts.
Chicago (40-37) could use Boyd’s presence to flesh out an injury plagued rotation. Right hander Jameson Taillon recently landed on the 15 day IL with a left hamstring injury, Promising young rightly Cade Horton was lost for the year in April after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Also, left hander Justin Steele is still making his way back from his left elbow surgery that took place last April. Entering play on Saturday, the cubs starting pitchers had combined for a 4.68 ERA, the fifth highest mark in the majors. What an outstanding performance so far.
