Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd needs to undergo surgery on his left knee to repair a meniscus injury, manager Craig Counsell told reporters Wednesday. The injury occurred while Boyd was sitting down playing with his children, Counsell said.
Impact on the Cubs
This latest injury depletes the Cubs' rotation depth. Boyd hasn't performed well this season, pitching to a 6.00 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 24 innings. The expectation was that he would improve moving forward.
Cade Horton is out for the season, and Justin Steele suffered a setback in his attempted return from Tommy John surgery. The Cubs entered the season with eight viable starters, but now they're down to just five with Boyd and Steele unavailable.
The current rotation consists of Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea and Javier Assad. Ben Brown is too valuable in his bullpen role to consider a role change, and top minor-league option Jaxon Wiggins is currently injured.
The Cubs rank ninth in the majors with a 3.90 rotation ERA and entered play Wednesday with a 24-12 record, tied for the second-best start in club history. They hold a 2.5-game lead in the NL Central.