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New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Chicago Cubs cautiously optimistic that Kyle Tucker avoided a season-changing injury
CHICAGO — Anything that happens to Kyle Tucker is magnified, given his status as the No. 1 free agent on the board next winter, and the high price the Chicago Cubs paid to acquire the All-Star outfielder. At the moment, the club is cautiously optimistic that Tucker just avoided the type of major injury that could have altered this season's trajectory. Advertisement The alarm bells went off when Vidal Bruján replaced Tucker in the fifth inning of Sunday afternoon's 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Tucker had jammed his right ring finger on a headfirst slide in the first inning, forcing the Cubs to make a decision on the Gold Glove right fielder, whose presence has helped elevate the team into a serious playoff contender. 'Not too concerned,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said afterward. 'I'm optimistic this is going to be, at most, a day or two, as soon as some of the swelling goes down. It's just a sprained finger. He took the second at-bat and it just was a little uncomfortable. So with the lead, we just got him out of there.' The Cubs have demonstrated resilience and determination throughout the first two-plus months of the season, overcoming injuries to All-Star pitchers Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga while restoring the big-game energy at the Friendly Confines. Tucker's all-around production and easy confidence are major reasons why the Cubs finished the first day of June in first place, already 15 games above .500. The club is expected to reassess Tucker's condition on Tuesday, before the start of a three-game road series against the Washington Nationals. 'I feel all right,' Tucker said. 'The hand's a little jammed, or a little swollen, but obviously we got our off day tomorrow, so hopefully it feels a little bit better once we get to Washington.' Wearing a Cubs travel sweatsuit, Tucker also had some kind of bandage on his right ring finger as well as a cut across the bridge of his nose. On that headfirst slide, his helmet popped off and flipped over as his face scraped against the dirt. 'My hand hit the ground kind of weird and got caught under me,' Tucker said. 'I was just hoping that it went away, and tried to grind through the at-bats. But it was kind of hurting. We took a precautionary route of just coming out of the game. We went and did X-rays and everything — they were fine — so hopefully the rest of today and the off day tomorrow will help.' Advertisement On that play, Tucker was caught stealing for the first time as a Cub. He's now 16-for-17 in those situations, to go with 12 homers, 39 RBIs, 44 runs scored and a .918 OPS. He's played in all 59 games this season, showing why the Cubs gave up Cam Smith, Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros. 'You don't really go through the whole season feeling 100 percent,' Tucker said. 'You probably feel 100 percent, maybe, in spring training or at the beginning of the season. For me, as long as I'm able to go out there and play, I'm going to go out there and play. Do what I can, to the best I can. I don't like getting taken out of games or missing games.'
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Cubs Made A Wise Investment In Matthew Boyd
In the finale of a three-game sweep of the Rockies on Wednesday night, Matthew Boyd tossed six one-run innings. He struck out eight, walked none, and gave up just two hits. It was his fourth quality start of May and sixth of the season. Seventh, if you include an April start against the Dodgers in which three of the six runs he allowed were unearned. In eleven starts this year, Boyd has 64 strikeouts compared to 15 walks. In the month of May, Boyd has struck out 34 batters while walking only two. In a Cubs rotation battered by injuries to key starters, Boyd has been something of a savior. And on a two-year, $29 million contract with the Cubs, Boyd is proving to be a wise investment for Chicago thus far. The Cubs are without Justin Steele until early next season after he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery in April, and Shota Imanaga is working to come back from a hamstring strain and is not expected back on the mound until mid-June at the earliest. 'Our [pitching] depth, it's been tested,' Cubs team president Hoyer told reporters this week. 'And we have to assume that that's not going to stop, that we'll continue to be tested. And we have to continue to find depth where we can find it.' Boyd was a key addition this offseason, especially given the way he has stepped up with Steele and Imanaga downed by injuries, but also because coming into the 2025 season it was not certain whether or not Boyd would be able to supply the kind of pitching value the Cubs needed. The Cubs will still undoubtedly need to pursue starting pitching as the July trade deadline approaches, but Boyd is one of the reasons the Steele and Imanaga injuries have not tanked a season where they are well-suited to win the National League Central. Through his eleven starts, Boyd has a 3.08 ERA with the aforementioned six quality starts. He has only once allowed more than four runs in a game, and that was against the Dodgers on April 23 when multiple fielding miscues allowed three runs to score unearned. Arguably, Boyd's worst start of his season came about a week ago in Cincinnati, when he lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on eight hits. In fact, the only two walks Boyd issued in May came during that start against the Reds. Otherwise, Boyd has pitched more like an ace for the Cubs this season. While doing that on the mound, Boyd is also providing value to the Cubs in the clubhouse. As a big league veteran who has been in the majors since 2015, he has taken on a mentoring role with some of the younger pitchers. Namely, Ben Brown, who has spent some of his days between starts tracking pitches with Boyd to help him prepare for upcoming outings. And in general, Boyd's attitude and demeanor are filled with gratitude for his current circumstances. Having gone through periods of uncertainty because of injuries, Boyd has a perspective on where he is now that is rubbing off in the locker room at Wrigley Field. 'It's such a positive vibe,' shortstop Dansby Swanson told reporters. 'Someone that has that perspective on life is awesome to be around. Just not taking anything for granted, just really enjoying showing up every day, just enjoying the ins and outs of the game, the grind of the game. 'He's somebody that we've definitely enjoyed having here, and we're going to continue to. I'm just happy that he's on our team and that he's healthy.' Boyd, for his part, knows that even though he has been very successful to this point in the season, there is no guarantee of what will come in the future. 'I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I just know what I'm going to do when the ball is in my hand,' Boyd said. 'When the ball is in my hand, I know what I'm going to do. And I know what I'm commanded to do, and I'll do that. Day after day, whenever. Whatever comes tomorrow, we'll deal with it.' One thing that is for certain is that the Cubs made a very wise investment in Boyd. Even if he does not keep up with the kinds of numbers he is posting through the first two months of the season, Boyd has already supplied the Cubs with considerable value. As things currently stand, the Cubs are 14 games above .500, have the second-best run differential in baseball, and they are tied for the most wins in the National League. They have a three-game lead over the Cardinals in their division, and that's despite St. Louis going 18-7 this month and riding a nine-game winning streak from May 4 to May 12. They can thank Matthew Boyd for at least some of that. Their offense is one of the best in baseball, but even with the highest run-scoring lineup, the best teams will crumble if they are not getting good pitching from the starting staff. As the season approaches its third month, it looks like Boyd was one of the best investments the Cubs front office made this offseason.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cubs calling Matt Shaw back up to Chicago after Triple-A corrections: Source
The Chicago Cubs are calling up third-base prospect Matt Shaw, and he will join the team as it begins a six-game road trip through Miami and Cincinnati, league sources confirmed. Shaw made the Cubs roster after spring training and struggled offensively out of the gate, posting a .172/.294/.241 slash line with an uncharacteristically high 26.5 percent strikeout rate. On April 15, the Cubs sent Shaw back to Triple-A Iowa to regain his confidence and make some slight mechanical changes, including toning down his dramatic leg kick. Advertisement Shaw made the changes the Cubs wanted to see and has been on a torrid stretch at the plate, homering twice on both Thursday and Friday. In 24 games in Iowa this season, he's posted a 151 wRC+ with six homers and 12 total extra-base hits. Since demoting Shaw, the Cubs have gotten little production at third base. According to FanGraphs, the Cubs have a -0.5 WAR and 35 wRC+ from the position, 29th in baseball since April 16. If Shaw can bounce back from his rough initial stint in the big leagues, it would add even more depth to one of the most productive lineups in baseball. News of Shaw's return was first reported by the New York Post. Shaw, 23, was the Cubs' top pick in the 2023 draft, No. 13 overall, out of Maryland. From the moment he arrived in professional baseball, he has hit. The infielder rarely slumped despite some unconventional mechanics at the plate. Scouts believed that he was eventually going to need some adjustments, but failure would have to come first. That finally happened at the highest level, but this past weekend, Shaw applied some changes he had been working on behind the scenes. Shaw's improvements gave the Cubs enough confidence that he was once again ready to join the big-league roster. After being with the club through the toughest schedule in baseball and facing some of the best pitching in the game, Shaw should have a slightly easier time these next few weeks as the Cubs enter a stretch of the schedule that includes the Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals.
