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The Chicago Cubs have finally received a bit of positive news on the injury front. At the moment, the North Siders are without starting pitchers Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Justin Steele in their rotation. The trio was expected to be key figures on the mound this season for manager Craig Counsell.

While all three pitchers remain out, Boyd is making some solid progress in his recovery. The veteran starter previously missed action earlier in the 2026 campaign due to a left biceps strain. After recovering from the issue, Boyd suffered a freak knee injury while at his home. Although seemingly innocuous, the starter had to undergo meniscus surgery to fix the issue.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Boyd was actually able to stand and throw a baseball the day after going under the knife. Within a few days, he was hurling nearly 100 pitches. The star then progressed to the mound to throw an official bullpen session on May 19. This was just 12 days after the star underwent knee surgery. Because the session went so well, Boyd is expected to throw yet again on May 22 at Wrigley Field.

“The biggest thing is that I’m doing everything like I want to,” Boyd told the Chicago Tribune. “The velocity was great in the bullpen, and I’m waking up the next day not aggravating it, so there’s no inflammation. That’s a win in a lot of ways.”

Chicago Cubs Still Likely to be Cautious with Matthew Boyd

GettyMatthew Boyd led the Chicago Cubs with 14 wins in 2025.

Despite the positive news, the Chicago Cubs are still not expecting Boyd to return to game action until around mid-June. The initial estimated recovery time for the pitcher was four to six weeks. It appears as if the Cubs do not want to rush their ace back too soon and potentially make matters a whole lot worse.

Chicago, however, would love to have Boyd back and healthy atop their rotation. After a hot start to the 2026 season, the Cubs have cooled off significantly. In fact, the North Siders have lost nine of their last 11 games. The slide has made Chicago drop out of first place in the National League Central. Some Chicago media members have also grown frustrated with Counsell’s demeanor during the losing streak.

Without Boyd and the other two key starters, the Cubs have struggled on the mound. Chicago starters have a combined 4.34 ERA on the campaign. This figure currently ranks 20th in all of baseball. Shota Imanaga remains the only regular starter on the team with an ERA under four.

Chicago Set to Add to Rotation in the Trade Market

Although the Chicago Cubs have been underachieving as of late, they are still eight games over .500 with plenty of games remaining on the schedule. Boyd and Steele should both be back on the mound within the next six weeks or so. It was recently reported that Steele is expected to return to action in July. Horton, unfortunately, will miss the remainder of the 2026 season.

Along with the duo’s return dates on the horizon, the Cubs are also likely to acquire an additional starter via trade. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden has revealed that Chicago is “already making phone calls” in the market and should land a quality pitcher this summer. The current Cubs pitching staff just needs to hold things together in the near future.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore