Matthew Boyd’s injury setback is an ominous tale Cubs know all too well

In a sign that the 2026 season may just be one where the Chicago Cubs never get fully healthy, Matthew Boyd has reportedly suffered a setback. Boyd was scheduled to start for the Cubs over the weekend against the San Francisco Giants, but he's now dealing with an injury separate from the knee surgery he had been recovering from.

The Chicago Tribune's Megan Montemurro is reporting that Boyd is dealing with "lingering soreness" in his left shoulder. Boyd reportedly felt the soreness during his most recent rehab start, and once again during his bullpen session in Colorado on Tuesday. For now, all Craig Counsell is willing to admit is that the Cubs will "lose a few days for sure" in terms of mapping out Boyd's return date.

In the past, the Cubs have typically leaned on the optimistic side before revealing more serious injury news. That feels like how this current situation with Boyd is going to play out.

Boyd was originally recovering from meniscus surgery, so it may not be fair to characterize this latest issue as setback. In fact, it's quite possible that Boyd is now dealing with his third injury on the season. Boyd missed time earlier this season with a bicep strain.

Cubs' optimism on Matthew Boyd is unfounded

There's no doubt that Boyd was a success story for the Cubs last season, but his reputation had been a veteran pitcher who struggled to stay healthy. While the Cubs spun that as positive at first, pointing to the miles left on his arm, they might be seeing the downside of that risk play out this season.

Even when Boyd has been healthy this season, he struggled. The 35-year-old veteran was sporting a 6.00 ERA through 24 innings pitched. If there was a silver lining, he was missing bats, striking out 31% of the hitters he faced. The problem has been opposing hitters squaring him up more often, boasting a 50.8% hard-hit rate.

It's a twisted sense of humor that the Cubs entered last Sunday with the hope that their rotation was finally starting to get healthy. Edward Cabrera made his return last Friday, and Boyd was expected to be back this week. Since then, Jameson Taillon has been ruled out until after the All-Star break in July and Boyd's status is now uncertain.

Short of the Cubs' pitching staff getting healthy, it's hard to point to a path toward the Cubs remaining in contention this season. Especially if the offense is going to continue to struggle.

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