Matthew Boyd is responding well after tossing four scoreless innings in a rehab outing for the High-A South Bend Cubs and is set for a bullpen session with the Chicago Cubs on June 22. The 35-year-old left-hander, who had left knee meniscectomy surgery in May,
The Chicago Cubs are watching one thing closely as the calendar turns: whether Matthew Boyd’s recovery is finally moving at the right speed.
Boyd. the 35-year-old left-handed starter who came to Chicago as a workhorse answer during the 2024-25 offseason. took a meaningful step on Saturday in a rehab outing for the High-A South Bend Cubs. He threw four scoreless innings, and the early read on his health is encouraging. His next checkpoint is bigger still. Boyd is scheduled to have a bullpen session with the team on June 22. setting up a potential fast-moving stretch if his body continues to cooperate.
If that progress holds, Boyd could come off the injured list during the Cubs’ upcoming road trip. That trip begins against the New York Mets on Monday night and concludes versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, June 28. It’s a window Chicago will be watching with urgency. because the rotation has not been able to consistently give the stability the Cubs were counting on when Boyd was signed.
Boyd’s impact in his earlier role was clear. In the 2024-25 season, he logged 179 2/3 innings across 31 starts, providing the productivity and steadiness that Chicago needed to end a four-year playoff drought. But those traits have not shown up the way Cubs fans have been hoping for in 2026 so far.
The numbers since the start of his current stretch tell the story. Through 24 innings of work, Boyd has accumulated a 6.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts while allowing a .714 OPS. He also underwent left knee meniscectomy surgery in May, and that timeline matters. Chicago’s own record reflects the inconsistency: the Cubs are 40-37. and the team has struggled to maintain the kind of rhythm fans want in large part while Boyd has been sidelined at times and while his results on the mound have not matched what his early promise suggested.
There’s no guarantee yet. but for a club that currently holds possession of the third and final National League Wild Card slot. even a small improvement can carry weight. Boyd’s rebound—moving from a four-scoreless-inning rehab outing toward a bullpen session on June 22—offers a rare piece of hope that feels tied to something practical. not just optimism.
Flushing is next for Boyd’s potential return attempt. with the Mets game on the opening leg of that road trip. From there, the Cubs will close the stretch against the Brewers on June 28. If Boyd can push through the remaining steps of his recovery. he’ll be trying to do more than restart his season. He’ll be trying to give Chicago’s starting staff a jolt of life at the exact moment the rotation has to step up.
Matthew Boyd Chicago Cubs MLB injury recovery rehab outing High-A South Bend Cubs bullpen session June 22 injured list New York Mets Milwaukee Brewers Wild Card race left knee meniscectomy
So he’s basically fine now right?
I swear every year it’s “rehab surge” and then he’s back on the IL again. Cubs really betting the season on a knee like it’s nothing.
Why do they keep saying bullpen session like that guarantees anything. Mets Monday, Brewers Sunday… that’s like 2 days of rest for a guy with a knee surgery in May, seems risky.
If he throws scoreless in High-A then he’s automatically gonna be the 2024 workhorse again? Idk, .714 OPS allowed sounds kinda scary to me even if it’s “early.” Also I saw knee meniscectomy and thought that meant he couldn’t run at all, so how is this “fast-moving stretch” thing supposed to work out.