Overview
- Boyd experienced left-shoulder soreness while warming up for a bullpen session on Tuesday in Denver and the discomfort persisted through the session.
- Manager Craig Counsell said the club will “back off” Boyd for a few days and has postponed his planned activation for this weekend’s start in San Francisco.
- Right-hander Javier Assad is the likely replacement for Boyd’s scheduled turn in the rotation this weekend as the Cubs use spot starters to fill gaps.
- Boyd, who is about five weeks removed from a meniscectomy and made two Triple-A rehab starts, said he kept normal velocity and expects to throw off a mound over the weekend.
- The pause heightens a broader problem for the Cubs: multiple opening-day starters are on the injured list and the staff has posted a 6.08 ERA since early May, forcing short-term fixes and raising pressure to add reliable innings.