Matthew Boyd wasn’t signed to be the Cubs’ ace.
But the free-agent acquisition has pitched like it in 2025, and it’s earned him a trip to the All-Star Game.
The lefty starting pitcher was named to the National League All-Star team Sunday, joining teammates Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker, who were previously announced as elected starters in the NL outfield.
That the first-place Cubs, who have been one of baseball’s best offensive teams all season, only landed three guys on the roster might come as a surprise, especially considering the numbers put up by designated hitter Seiya Suzuki, catcher Carson Kelly and first baseman Michael Busch.
But that these three were included is no shock.
Crow-Armstrong and Tucker have been two of the more productive hitters in the sport in 2025. Entering Sunday, Crow-Armstrong ranked seventh with 23 homers and was still the only player in the majors with at least 20 homers and 20 steals. Tucker ranked 10th in the game with a .901 OPS.
Boyd’s numbers have been equally impressive on the pitching side. He came into his Sunday start against the rival Cardinals with a 2.65 ERA in 17 outings.
The Cubs inked Boyd to a free-agent deal over the winter after his short stint with the Guardians following a lengthy injury recovery. He only made eight starts at the end of last season, plus three more in the playoffs, totaling just over 50 innings. And he was great, posting a 2.72 ERA in the regular-season outings.
Boyd, in his 11th year in the majors, hadn’t made more than 15 starts in a season since 2019.
“I’m happy for Matt,” manager Craig Counsell said Sunday. “If you look at the last four years of his career, you go through these injuries, and there’s always a reason to keep going and always a reason to prove yourself. But at the stage of [his career], … to be an All Star is a real lesson for everybody in why you never give an inch and you keep at it and you go about every day the same and you attack every day during your injuries the same.
“He’s clearly done that. This is one of the rewards for that.”
With lefties Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga atop the rotation, the Cubs didn’t need Boyd to dazzle at an All-Star level. But it’s a good thing he has: Steele is out for the season after having elbow surgery, and Imanaga missed nearly two months with a strained hamstring.
“This is what we thought could happen,” Counsell said of Boyd. “The health had just been a question. That was the little bit of the gamble, from Jed’s perspective, the health. But the performance, this is what he did in 50 innings [last year]. I know it was short, it wasn’t a lot of innings, but this is how he pitched.
“That part’s not a huge surprise. He has it in him.”
Boyd has done as much to keep the Cubs’ rotation afloat as anyone amid the injuries, something he’ll have to keep doing with righty Jameson Taillon now on the injured list and expected to be out for more than a month.
But that challenge will come after Boyd returns from Atlanta and one of the top honors of his career.