The Chicago Cubs ran into another obstacle in their injury-plagued season Wednesday, placing Matthew Boyd on the 15-day injured list with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Boyd will require surgery, and his timetable for a return is unknown. Manager Craig Counsell said Boyd suffered the injury while playing with his children at home earlier in the day.
“Just kind of innocent,” Counsell told reporters at Wrigley Field. “Just going down on the ground and going back up. Kind of unexplainable. … Just sitting down on the ground with his kids.”
Boyd, 35, who is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA in five starts, is the second Cubs starter to go in the IL. Right-hander Cade Horton was lost for the season on April 4 and later underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL and flexor tendon.
Justin Steele also experienced a setback in his long-awaited return from last year’s Tommy John surgery, and he’s expected back no sooner than after the All-Star break.
“Obviously it’s unexpected news,” Counsell said of Boyd’s injury. “We’re going to have to fill in around him. But that’s going to be our task.”
Potential replacements for Boyd — the Cubs’ opening-day starter — are Javier Assad and Ben Brown, though both have been valuable in relief roles with the injury-marred bullpen.
In all, 10 Cubs pitchers are on the IL.
Reliever Trent Thornton, a 32-year-old right-hander, had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa to take Boyd’s roster spot. Thornton had a 3.18 ERA in four outings with Iowa and has a career 4.38 ERA in the majors since 2019 with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Thornton hasn’t pitched in a major-league game since a left Achilles injury ended his 2025 season Aug. 1.
Reliever Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for Thornton.
Despite the injuries, the first-place Cubs entered their home game Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at 24-12, having won seven straight and 17 of 20 overall and 13 consecutive at Wrigley.
Chicago Tribune freelance reporter Andy Martinez contributed.
