Matthew Boyd’s hoped-for quick return from the injured list is being slowed after shoulder soreness during a bullpen session in Colorado. Manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs will “back off” him for a couple days, leaving Javier Assad likely to take the start
DENVER — Matthew Boyd stepped into a bullpen session Tuesday in Colorado with the kind of momentum a Cubs rotation sorely needs. By the end of that work, shoulder soreness was enough to change the plan.
Boyd’s return from the injured list will be slowed. Manager Craig Counsell said the team will “back off him for a couple days. ” hoping the issue is minor and that Boyd can get back on the mound quickly. “But he threw his bullpen. he hasn’t recovered the way he needs to recover. so we’re going to have to take some time.”.
Boyd will not make a start this weekend in San Francisco. The left-hander had been on the doorstep of returning after more than a month on the shelf while recovering from knee surgery, one of several critical absences affecting Cubs starters just two and a half months into the season.
His schedule was already tangled before the shoulder soreness. Boyd was essentially lined up to replace veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon in the rotation. Taillon’s hamstring strain will keep him out until after the All-Star break. With Taillon sidelined and Boyd now delayed. the replacement for the weekend start against the Giants looks to be Javier Assad. the right-hander who relieved Taillon after his early exit Sunday and is likely to get the start Boyd was meant to make.
Boyd acknowledged how frustrating this kind of injury churn has been. “It’s not ideal,” he said of the problems in the Cubs’ rotation. “You don’t want to go through it. It doesn’t matter as much what happens, it’s how you respond. The only thing that we have control over is our response.”
He tied his next steps to discipline and patience, describing the work in small, controlled increments. “I know what that response is for me: It’s continuing to do everything I can. brick by brick. to get back on that mound. … It’s the hand that’s been dealt, so we have to adjust and we have to keep going.”.
Now that the active roster return will take longer. Boyd pointed to workload as part of the reason he feels the delay is necessary. “I want to be back. I wanted to be back the day after surgery,” Boyd said. “It’s [a result of the increased] workload. Obviously, you see the check-engine light that comes on yesterday. But you look back at the week before. and it’s like. ‘Maybe I should have limited my workload a little more.’”.
He added, “That’s no one’s fault but my own. There was a prescribed plan, I was just feeling so good working through things. There’s something to be said about letting low days be low days.”
In Assad. the Cubs are once again leaning on a fill-in option in a season that has forced them to shuffle pitching roles frequently. Ben Brown has stood out among the stopgap plans and is making an All-Star case. But not every solution has caught hold—Colin Rea has an ERA north of 5.00. and Jordan Wicks was sent back to the minors after two outings that didn’t go the way the team needed.
Assad is stepping into a starting opportunity in a different context than the one he faced in his last stretch. Prior to a mid-May trip to the minors. his numbers had dipped heavily due to two rough outings in which he allowed a combined 15 runs. Since then, he’s allowed two runs this season. Before Sunday’s performance, his ERA was nearly 6.00, but he turned in 6⅓ shutout innings Sunday.
For Assad, this is also about readiness—being available in whatever shape the team calls for. “You’ve always got to be ready to help the team,” Assad said through an interpreter on Tuesday. “Whether it’s one inning. five innings. six innings. whatever it is. you’re always got to be ready to help the team.”.
He said he’s waiting for the chance to contribute again. “I’m just waiting for any opportunity, right? Whenever you get that opportunity, you’re always happy to be called upon and make the most out of it and go out there and give it my absolute best.”
Boyd’s absence has already weighed on the rotation. Coming into Wednesday. Cubs starters held a 6.08 ERA since May 4—the day after Boyd’s most recent start—marking the second-worst mark in the majors in that span. Once he returns, Boyd—an All Star last season—figures to be a stabilizing force every fifth day. For now. the Cubs are managing the cost of not rushing back from a body that’s still sending signals it isn’t ready.
Chicago Cubs Matthew Boyd injured list shoulder soreness Craig Counsell Javier Assad Jameson Taillon Ben Brown Colin Rea Jordan Wicks