Matthew Boyd to IL with Bicep Strain, Javier Assad Will Start Tuesday

Remember how we talked about the Cubs’ pitching depth being a strength? Well, they’re really putting that to the test at this point. Just three days after Cade Horton left his start early with forearm tightness, the club announced that Matthew Boyd is being placed on the 15-day IL with a left bicep strain. Javier Assad has been recalled and will start on Tuesday in Tampa in Boyd’s place.

Boyd looked tremendous in his last outing, striking out 10 Angels over 5.2 innings of two-run ball. He induced 20 whiffs in each of his first two starts, more than any Cubs pitcher generated in any start over all of 2025. There’s no telling at this point just how long he’ll be out, but good money is on more than the minimum IL stint. Even a mild strain can take a few weeks to heal, and moderate tears can take months. Given Boyd’s importance, the Cubs are not going to rush him back.

That said, Boyd and Craig Counsell told reporters that they are confident it will be a minimum stay. The lefty threw a side session yesterday and felt fine, so this is more a matter of giving him time to recover properly. That couldn’t happen due to having a taxed bullpen, though two weeks on the IL strikes me as more than just a way to get Boyd more rest. Here’s to hoping my inherent pessimism has led me astray in my assessment.

Assad and Colin Rea, who will fill in for Horton, are no strangers to this kind of fill-in work. Getting Justin Steele back in late May or early June will help as well, but that’s still several weeks away. Fingers crossed for some good news on both injured starters.