Lambs on the left Matthew Boyd he will undergo surgery to repair meniscus damage in his left knee. His current time is unknown. The manager Craig Counsell provided an update to reporters, including ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. After Counsel spoke up, the Cubs officially placed him on the 15-day disabled list. The right hand Trent Thornton was selected to replace Boyd on the list. Left hand Charlie Barnes he was selected for an assignment to open a 40-man position at Thornton. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that Thornton will arrive ahead of the official announcement.
Boyd’s injury just happened. He started for the Cubs on Sunday and threw six two-run innings against the Diamondbacks. Apparently, Boyd first noticed the injury while walking around playing with his children, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. That led to an MRI, which showed a problem with his meniscus. His timeline won’t be known until after the procedure, per Mooney, but it will take longer than the average IL.
No matter how long Boyd is out, it’s going to hit the Cubs. They have already lost Late Horton for Tommy John surgery, so he did it for a year. Justin Steele he’s trying to come back from elbow surgery but elbow stiffness has just pushed his timeline and he may be out after the All-Star break now.
The Cubs started the year with Horton, Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon again Shota Imanaga in five places. Boyd missed time earlier with a bicep strain. As a result of Horton’s illness and surgery, Colin Rea he went from the pen to the turn again Javier Assad he was called from a young age. When Boyd came back from a bicep issue, Assad was hit by the bullpen.
Boyd’s spot in the rotation will come Friday. Maybe Assad will get another exchange gig but for now he is not recovered. His last start was April 19, when he went 5 2/3. He then pitched one inning on April 23 and 2 1/3 on April 25, followed by a big gap. He threw a third inning last night, his first game in ten days.
Doug Nikhazy he’s on option assignment and could be another option but has lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his last two Triple-A starts. Boys love it Blach said, Connor Noland, Paul Campbell again Will Sanders they were starting in Triple-A but none of them are 40-man and none of that trio has an ERA below 6.00.
In the meantime, Thornton gives them an extra arm in the bullpen. The Cubs signed him to a minor league deal earlier in the season. He made four appearances in Triple-A, pitching 5 2/3 innings with a 3.18 earned run average, a 20% strikeout rate and a 12% walk rate.
He is coming off a great three-year run in the big leagues. From 2023 to 2025, mostly for the Mariners, he threw 146 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball. Unfortunately, he tore his left Achilles last summer, ending his season prematurely. That led to Seattle not tendering him, which allowed the Cubs to take him to a minor league deal.
Ideally, he’ll get back on track and be a useful piece of Chicago’s bullpen. If it doesn’t work out, Thornton has at least five years of major league service, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.
Barnes, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Cubans in the offseason and was added to the roster about two weeks into the season. He made one major league appearance, pitching three innings of relief on April 13, allowing three earned runs. In Triple-A this year, he threw 21 2/3 innings with a 3.74 ERA, a 25.8% strikeout rate and a 12.4% walk rate.
He will now go into DFA limbo, which could last up to a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to receive trade interest, though they could put him on waivers sooner than that. He spent 2022 to 2025 pitching in South Korea, posting a 3.58 ERA for the Lotte Giants. Since he still has options, maybe that will attract other clubs that need pitching depth, but the Cubs are one of those clubs and they’re taking him off the list.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
