St. Petersburg, FL (AP) – Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left biceps strain on Monday.

Right-handed pitcher Javier Assad was recalled from Triple-A Iowa and will start in Boyd’s place against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

The 35-year-old Boyd, an All-Star last season for the first time in his career, was Chicago’s starter on opening day. He is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts this season for Chicago. He has 17 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.

Assad was 4-1 with a 3.65 ERA in eight games for the Cubs in 2025. He’s 18-12 with a 3.43 ERA in 78 games, including 54 starts, in four seasons.

Boyd is the second starting pitcher to go down already for the Cubs. Righty Cade Horton was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of a right forearm strain. He exited his start against Cleveland on Friday after facing just four batters.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb