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Boyd (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Nationals, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk across 3.2 innings. He struck out seven.
After getting the Opening Day nod, Boyd got off to a strong start, holding Washington to one run on one hit through his first three innings. However, things unraveled for the left-hander in the fourth -- the first five batters in the inning reached safely against Boyd, who was tagged for another five runs in the frame en route to a 10-4 Cubs defeat. Boyd, who was 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA across 31 regular-season starts (179.2 innings) in 2025, will look to bounce back his next time out, tentatively scheduled to come next week at home against the Angels.
The Cubs have named Boyd their Opening Day starter, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
He'll be tasked with facing the Nationals and Cade Cavalli on March 26. Boyd earned the Opening Day nod following a terrific first season in Chicago which saw him collect a 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 154:42 K:BB across 179.2 regular-season innings.
Boyd didn't allow a baserunner over three scoreless innings during Thursday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He struck out three.
Making his second start of the spring, Boyd looked sharp as he kept Los Angeles off the bases for three innings. The veteran lefty now has seven strikeouts across 4.2 Cactus League innings. Boyd's K/9 dropped to 7.7 last year, his lowest rate since 2021, and he's unlikely to see any dramatic upticks at this point in his career. However, even modest gains in the strikeout department would boost the southpaw's fantasy stock in 2026. Outside of the drop in strikeouts, Boyd was excellent for the Cubs in 2025, recording a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 179.2 regular-season innings.
