With Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga out of the rotation, the last thing the Chicago Cubs need right now is for another starting pitcher to go down. President Jed Hoyer is looking to make a trade to boost the starting rotation so he can give arms on the rotation and the bullpen rest after asking players to step up in the spring.
On Friday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell explained he had to pull starting pitcher Matthew Boyd after he suffered a shoulder injury making a catch off contact from shortstop J.P. Crawford to end the fifth inning in Chicago’s 9-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners in front of 40,787 fans at Wrigley Field.
“Obviously, it was very hard hit,” Counsell said. “And the shoulder, he caught the ball, obviously, but the shoulder, his left shoulder, took the brunt of it, so had a pretty big bruise on his left shoulder, kind of on the front of his shoulder, and it just stiffened up pretty quickly.
“So there was no way to go back out there.”
Chicago Cubs SP Matthew Boyd provides an update
Following Boyd’s exit, the Cubs’ bullpen surrendered seven runs, leading to the team’s second loss in a row.
Boyd told reporters after the game that he does not believe his shoulder injury is too serious.
“My glove was up against my shoulder, and it kind of got me in a spot a little bit,” Boyd said via the Chicago Tribune. “It swelled up a little bit, and as the half-inning went on it tightened up. It was more precautionary than anything. … I don’t foresee it being an issue.”
The Cubs need Boyd to remain healthy. Boyd, 34, has a 2.84 ERA in 85.2 innings pitched this season.
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