The Chicago Cubs have had back-to-back games rained out (yesterday and today). The former, against the Blue Jays, has been pushed back to the beginning of August. But the latter, against the Mets, will be a split doubleheader on Wednesday. And seeing as Matthew Boyd is nearing his return while Shota Imanaga had already been pushed back from yesterday, it wasn’t immediately clear how the Cubs would handle this week. Now, we more or less know.
First, the easy part: According to Meghan Montemurro, Edward Cabrera will start tomorrow on his original schedule. Then, Shota Imanaga, originally slated to pitch yesterday (and then today) will take one of the two games on Wednesday. Javier Assad will throw in the other.
That leaves Thursday’s finale (which is also the night of our big Cubs-Mets watch party at Frontier! RSVP now to join… it’s free and there’ll be a bar tab open for most of the night!).
Join Us at Our Live Watch Party!Now, the tricky part is Thursday, but it comes with a sprinkle of good news. Technically, the Cubs could go with either Colin Rea or Ben Brown. The former hasn’t pitched since June 20 (5.1 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays). And the latter hasn’t thrown since June 19 (6.0 IP, 4H, 2ER, 0BB, 4K).
But, from the sounds of it, we might actually see Matthew Boyd return from the Injured List for that outing.
Matthew Boyd's next start will be with the Cubs, Counsell said.It's not clear yet which day that will be, though Thursday at the Mets is in play. Cubs need to see what happens with tonight's game and if there's a doubleheader they have to adjust the pitching staff for.
— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) June 22, 2026Boyd made another rehab start on June 20, which went very well, all things considered: 4.0 IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 7K. Don’t get too excited about the line, it was High-A. But it’s nice to see nonetheless.
We got another clue about his potential next start via Cubs.com (discussed earlier, among a series of pitching injury updates):
“Both Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and Boyd indicated on Sunday that the pitcher had recovered well a day after that appearance for South Bend. The lefty is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in New York on Monday and the Cubs will determine his next step from there. It is possible Boyd could be activated as early as Thursday.”
Boyd was up to 59 pitches in that start, so you could tentatively pencil him in for 75-ish pitches on Thursday if it came to that. Remember, though, this is the second time Boyd tried to return from his second IL stint. This stint first started because of a knee injury and surgery, but was extended after some shoulder soreness followed his last rehab start.
So I suppose that is all to say we don’t know FOR SURE if the Cubs will start Boyd, Rea, or Brown on Thursday. But my guess is Boyd, perhaps with Rea to follow, but in relief, so that Brown can get the first crack at the Brewers in the series starting Friday.
Tuesday: Edward CabreraWednesday G1: Javier Assad or Shota ImanagaWednesday G2: Javier Assad or Shota ImanagaThursday: Boyd + Rea
Bonus, with Boyd returning and Assad looking really steady in the rotation, the Cubs bullpen, which has been AWFUL, could get a very useful arm back in Colin Rea. That’s part of why we were so excited for Ben Brown’s emergence in the rotation, and why we’re equally grateful for the improvements Javier Assad has shown.
As for Boyd, I don’t really know what to expect. He’s spent a ton of time on the Injured List and wasn’t quite getting good results the few times he WAS on the mound this season. However, he has a long track record of success and was, for what it’s worth, striking out a ton of guys (with a ton of whiffs) earlier this year. With so much time to rest his shoulder/arm, perhaps it’s not too much to ask that he comes back and contributes meaningfully.
And I guess, while you’re here, I’ll just remind you of the latest on Justin Steele, who had a big day today:
Today is a very big day for Justin Steele, who is expected to start throwing baseballs today after finishing his pre-throwing strength and plyo work. He is traveling with the team on their road trip, and obviously the dream scenario is he graduates to mound work and bullpens relatively quickly (but safely). A rehab stint coming in three or four weeks would not be out of the question if the progression goes smoothly.
Jesse Rogers has indicated that Steele coming back by August would be a huge win, so we do have to keep our expectations calibrated accordingly. That’s especially true when we consider that the current rehab, from a flexor strain, happened only after Steele was close to pitching competitively at the tail end of his rehab from last year’s surgery. Another setback like that, and Steele’s season could be over.
There is still a LOOOONG way to go before we get him back (if we even do), but it does still seem like a possibility. It’s almost too painful to realize that his original get-back date (the end of May) is almost a full month in the past.
Hence then, the article about here s how cubs will line up their rotation with the doubleheader plus a matthew boyd update was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Here’s How Cubs Will Line Up Their Rotation with the Doubleheader (Plus a Matthew Boyd Update) )
Also on site :
- The special tattoo Nico O’Reilly is hoping to add after England’s World Cup campaign
- England announces squad for IND vs ENG T20I series, James Coles earns maiden call-up
- Los Angeles ranked second most expensive World Cup city behind New York