Surging 1st Place Chicago Cubs Coping With Matthew Boyd Knee Surgery

BusinessSportsMoneySurging 1st Place Chicago Cubs Coping With Matthew Boyd Knee SurgeryByBernie Pleskoff,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bernie Pleskoff is a former professional Major League Baseball scout Follow AuthorMay 08, 2026, 02:30am EDTCHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 3: Matthew Boyd #16 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field on May 3, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Chicago Cubs are playing winning baseball.The Cubs are on the move in the National League Central Division standings.The Cubs are in 1st place in the Central, with a record of 26-12. They have won nine consecutive games. It’s a great winning streak!As exciting as the start to the season has been for the Cubs, the reality of a serious pitching injury may have added a bit of anxiety to their overall joy.Left-handed starting pitcher, Matthew Boyd has been placed on the Injured List with a partial repair of his meniscus. He has had successful left knee surgery, and he could return in “roughly six weeks.”But there was an optimistic interpretation of his time line presented by si.com. They reported a radio interview with Cubs General Manager Carter Hawkins, who said Boyd had more of a “trimming.” In fact, Hawkins said, it’s more than a month for sure, and then we’ll kind of figure it out from there. So we’re optimistic about a quicker timeline.”MLB.com explained Boyd’s situation this way: “The way Cubs manager Craig Counsell phrased it, veteran lefty Matthew Boyd woke up on Wednesday morning as a healthy player, in a matter of hours, a fluke setback while at home created yet another obstacle for the North Siders to overcome in the weeks ahead.”MORE FOR YOUActually, Boyd’s injury was one of total innocence. He was simply sitting down to play with his kids, Right-hander Javier Assad, who was working out of the Cubs bullpen, is the likely replacem...