Cubs-Sox notes: Boyd tells the story of knee injury, early rehab
Pitcher Matthew Boyd was back in the Cubs clubhouse Friday for the first time since having arthroscopic knee surgery on May 7.
He described his rehab as going very well, but he wanted to emphasize one aspect about how the injury happened.
“My kids had nothing to do with it,” he said with a laugh. “I've got to clear them.”
According to Boyd, he was kneeling down to play with his kids when he first felt the issue. Less than 24 hours later, he had cartilage shaved from his left knee.
“I was just kneeling down and my knee popped twice,” he said. “As unglamorous as that sounds, that's just kind of what happened. There was no precursor. It wasn't like I was working through pain or anything like that. Would it have happened two days later on the mound? Who knows?
“The knee feels great now. I'm honestly feeling probably stronger than I was before, which is kind of crazy. So that's a blessing, right?”
Removing a loose piece of cartilage is a relatively minor procedure. Boyd said he started throwing the next day and everything has gone well. The original diagnosis was 6-8 weeks, and manager Craig Counsell said it's too soon to think about changing the outlook for Boyd's return.
“It's been a really good first week,” Counsell said. “He'll see the doctor at the end of the weekend here, and we'll see what's next, but I think he's going to progress at a pretty good pace. So far we've got all good news.”
Ben Brown has been lights out while filling in for Boyd, allowing 1 hit and no runs over 8 innings. He's thrown just 4 innings per game, since he's been in the bullpen. But if this continues, the Cubs will have to consider leaving Brown in the rotation even after Boyd returns.
Teel begins rehab
White Sox catcher Kyle Teel has played three rehab games at Triple-A Charlotte, but the Sox are in no hurry to bring him back. Teel has been out since suffering a hamstring strain in the World Baseball Classic in March.
So far, he's played two games at catcher and one at designated hitter, going 3-for-12 at the plate with a home run.
“Day off today, and he'll play seven (innings) tomorrow,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “He's got a few more games scheduled after that, and so we'll have to take it day-by-day.”
City Series notes
Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring strain) will pitch Saturday for the South Bend Cubs, on the road in Appleton, Wisconsin, as he begins a rehab assignment. … According to the White Sox, Colson Montgomery had the most home runs in MLB history by a shortstop through 96 career games, then he added another one in the second inning Friday.