Matthew Boyd tossed four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in his first rehab start for High-A South Bend on Saturday night.
Boyd threw 59 pitches (40 strikes) and did not walk a batter. The only two hits he allowed were singles.
The 35-year-old left-hander restarted his rehab following a minor setback last week, in which he complained of soreness in his left shoulder while throwing a bullpen session. The Cubs had originally planned to slot Boyd back into the rotation last weekend against the Giants.
Boyd has been on the IL since May 6 after sustaining a fluke injury while on the ground with his kids. He underwent surgery on his left knee a day later, and he was originally expected to miss six weeks.
Boyd previously made two rehab starts for Triple-A Iowa -- the last of which came on June 6 -- before the shoulder soreness cropped up.
A first-time All-Star in 2025, Boyd has pitched to a 6.00 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings across five starts for the Cubs this season. He is a year removed from posting a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts.
Chicago (40-37) could use Boyd’s presence to flesh out an injury-plagued rotation. Right-hander Jameson Taillon recently landed on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring injury. Promising young righty Cade Horton was lost for the year in April after undergoing Tommy John surgery. And left-hander Justin Steele is still making his way back from left elbow surgery that took place last April.
Entering play on Saturday, Cubs starting pitchers had combined for a 4.68 ERA, the fifth-highest mark in the Majors.