JUNE 28: Boyd underwent successful surgery in Dallas this morning, Stavenhagen tweets.
JUNE 27: The Tigers have informed reporters, including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, that left-hander Matthew Boyd will require Tommy John surgery. The club also announced a slate of moves, with right-hander Matt Manning activated from the 60-day injured list and left-hander Anthony Misiewicz recalled from Triple-A Toledo. Boyd has been placed on the 60-day IL while right-hander Will Vest has been placed on the 15-day IL with a right lower leg strain.
The news comes as a very unfortunate development for both Boyd and the Tigers. The left-hander already missed a significant chunk of time in recent seasons as he required flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 which forced him to miss roughly a full year. He returned in September of last year and was able to toss 13 1/3 innings down the stretch.
The Tigers took a chance on Boyd being able to return to form, signing him in the offseason to a one-year, $10MM deal. The club was coming off a nightmare 2022 season wherein they went 66-96 and lost pitchers like Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal to surgeries that would keep them out well into the 2023 season. They were undoubtedly hoping that Boyd could serve as a stabilizing force and perhaps turn into a trade candidate by midseason if they were again out of contention.
He made 15 starts with an elevated 5.45 ERA, though that was likely inflated by a 62% strand rate. Due to his 24.1% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate, his 4.36 FIP and 4.16 SIERA indicate he deserved better results. Given the pitching injuries around the league, plenty of clubs would have looked past the ERA and called up Detroit for trade talks but none of that will happen now. Boyd will miss the remainder of the 2023 season and much of the 2024 campaign as well.
On a personal level, it has to be incredibly frustrating for Boyd. From 2016 to 2019, he was a serviceable rotation member in Detroit, tossing 588 innings with a 4.67 ERA. But he then struggled in 2020 and has since endured three straight injury-shortened campaigns, with next year sure to be a fourth.
For the Tigers, this is the latest in a brutal succession of serious surgeries required for their starting staff. Each of Boyd, Mize, Skubal and Spencer Turnbull have required either Tommy John or flexor tendon surgery in the past few years. In addition to that, pitchers like Manning, Eduardo Rodriguez, Alex Faedo and Beau Brieske have dealt with other ailments that have pushed them to the injured list.
Manning is at least able to return today with Skubal and Rodriguez not too far behind him. That group will join a rotation mix that also consists of Michael Lorenzen, Joey Wentz and Reese Olson, though Lorenzen could find himself on the trade block this summer as he’s an impending free agent with a 3.97 ERA. The Tigers have a 34-43 record and would make sense as sellers, though they are only 4.5 games out in the weak American League Central. The mounting injuries will make it hard for them to stay in the race but the impending returns of some of those injured players could perhaps help them stay afloat.
Marius
They cannot catch a break
Goku the Knowledgable One
neither can Boyd
Dumpster Divin Theo
Nor can he throw a break
Red Wings
Nope
Dumpster Divin Theo
Yep
Dumpster Divin Theo
(I was yepping your nope. Like the dude that gets off the bus and Noices! a Noice!)
Longtimecoming
I don’t follow Tigers very much and of course yesterday was a light schedule but, did I miss the post on “Matthew Boyd left his start tonight after only getting 2 outs because ….”
Goku the Knowledgable One
MLBTR generally doesn’t cover speculative injuries
For Love of the Game
He winced and grabbed his elbow. He just have flexor tendon surgery less than two months ago so TJ wasn’t unexpected.
Longtimecoming
Oh I beg to differ – if this was Kershaw, Gonsolin, Scherzer, deGrom etc., there would have been something as an alert that he left the game unusually early due to “an apparent injury” while not speculating as to the extent of it – where do you think all those comments calling for TJ surgery by commentators come from? It’s posts just like that.
Melchez17
They are still talking about Judges toe. Like once a week we get updates.
holecamels35
My girlfriend cut off her toe! She thought we were getting million dollar!!
GarryHarris
Try again
jerg22
Spec? What do you work for there insurance co? He’s burnt bro. Like many that like bad tigger baseball it was somewhat obvious.
jerg22
Yes. Many knucklers in mlb these days
Goku the Knowledgable One
need Timmy Wakefield back
Lyman Bostock
Bad news for all hitters
nyy17 2
I hope his retirement fund Will Vest when he comes back from the IL.
Motown is My Town
Wow can’t believe Mathew Boyd’s horrible luck. Knew it looked bad when it happened but was hoping it was not this. Anway, this is sad, bad news anyway you look at it.
thickiedon
It was a terrible signing. He had success in low leverage situations as a reliever and should’ve remained in that role. It was obvious there strategy to throw him back into the rotation was going to implode
Motor City Beach Bum
He had decent strikeout and wLk rates and underlying metrics lean towards him being unlucky to a degree (4.16 FIP I think I remember reading?). Clubhouse leader too. You need good team guys to build a good clubhouse culture.
ThonolansGhost
Boyd had a 4.36 FIP.
Melchez17
I never understood signing Boyd… he hasn’t thrown 100 innings since 2019. Looks like he won’t make it again.
Ejemp2006
Never say never. He could become a knuckleballer. The guy has spirit so I wouldn’t rule anything out for him.
stymeedone
Hope for a quick recovery for Matt. One of the best guys in the league, with all the charity work he does for the Kingdom Home in Uganda for at-risk girls. He’s never made the really big bucks in MLB, but took on a large responsibility. It would be a shame if the Kingdom Home could not be maintained because of his contract situation.
todda1
He signed for 10 million this offseason….
stymeedone
He took on the Kingdom Home when he was at $2.5, so this year was the most he’s made. Next year he won’t be able to play and he won’t have a contract, unless he takes a discount for a two year. Kingdom Home houses over 100 children. That’s not cheap.
Melchez17
“Kingdom Home houses over 100 children. That’s not cheap.”
Team him up with Lebron and he could have them make some shoes.
Red Wings
Kind of worried about Skubal, pretty sure he had the same procedure.
ThonolansGhost
Skubal had Tommy John surgery years ago, more recently he had shoulder surgery. Boyd had shoulder surgery two years ago, and now he needs Tommy John surgery.
ThonolansGhost
So the latest Tigers rotation: Manning, Wentz, Olson, Lorenzon… I’m guessing Wentz gets sent to Toledo when Skubal and Rodriguez come up next week.
Unless another starting pitcher gets hurt between now and then, which would not surprise me.
stymeedone
Or they move Wentz to the pen
ThonolansGhost
Why would they want him in the bullpen? Right now, they need him to get better. Their bullpen is fine, they don’t really have room for a struggling starter.
gotigers68
Rodriguez still needs a rehab start In Toledo. So, it may be a little longer than a week…
Ejemp2006
Olson is the silver lining to this mess of injuries. (Buck Farmer+Drew Smyly+Rick Porcello)÷ 3 x durability = Olson.(1)
Reference:
1. Mos Def. (1999). Mathematics. Black on Both Sides. Rawkus Records.
ThonolansGhost
Rodriguez gets his rehab start this Thursday, and should be with Detroit sometime next week (if all goes well).
ThonolansGhost
And they sent Wentz down to Toledo. Honestly, they pretty much had to.
For Love of the Game
Skubal had flexor tendon surgery last summer like Boyd had two years ago. Skubal also had TJ in college, which Boyd has never had yet.
mrperkins
Activating Manning….I bet the writer already has a rough draft of him going down with tommy John surgery written up
ClevelandSteelEngines
Staying away from Tigers is a good idea
Motor City Beach Bum
For Cleveland fans
ThonolansGhost
The Tigers are bad for a pitcher’s health.
Motor City Beach Bum
That sucks for Boyd and for the Tigers. Only silver lining is we are getting three decent to solid SPs back shortly and Olson has been pretty decent. Sucks about Vest too but I guess we will see what Misiewicz has to offer.
AHH-Rox
There should be a Siegfried and Roy joke in there somewhere.
Dumpster Divin Theo
There should be a Rocky III and Katy Perry joke in there somewhere
jerseystrongsports
Something has to change, so many players needing TJ surgery. MLB should spend some money on training to prevent this. Whether team policy or physical regimen. Take a family of 4 costs around $400 for a game. But you don’t know how long the player will be around. I still go to games, but the MILB games near me . And usually see MLB on rehab.
Melchez17
Pitching machines… Just have the pitcher feed the machine
Dumpster Divin Theo
Or the 15 starts with an elevated 5.45 E.RA was likely inflated by a 62% bad rate.
User 3595123227
Heck yeah 3rd Tommy John Surgery this week whoop whoop!
partyatnapolis
remember when the tigers could have traded this mediocre dude for a king’s ransom bc the trade market was so bad and they held??? yikes.
stymeedone
Just think, with the nothing offers they had coming in, they could have been right where they are now!
ThonolansGhost
There was no “king’s ransom” offered, that’s why they held on to him.
Cray MC
I thought there was a time where they supposedly turned down a chance to trade a young pitcher halfway into a season for Alex Bregman. Was that Boyd? Or was it Fulmer? Or am I not remembering right?
Motor City Beach Bum
Fulmer I believe
Dumpster Divin Theo
Too bad- they could be well on their way to cheating
jerg22
And then returnes for 10 mil
Tj82
He will still find a way to give up homers.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Trade Hinch to the Mets.
Trade our pitchers to Balt and Cinn.
Trade any leftovers to LA, SF or Tx, Ny.
Motor City Beach Bum
100% agree on pitcher trade destinations. Those two teams are stacked with bats close to the big leagues.
Rsox
Incredibly tough break for both player and team.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Trade now before.others become sellers
This happens every year. The Tigers win 4 in a row….the KoolAid starts talking…who knows what happens to reality.
BelAire need an expansion to the mansion,because you guys are nuts.. …even if they won, it would be a fluke and not very satisfying. Who’s your Lolich? Your Kaline? Yes, it would be nice…but would it worth much m ore than a laugh?
I don’t buy into the concept of hoping the other guy fails.
Trade em all
Dumpster Divin Theo
Trade what? Mighty Cabrera and a pocket full of lint?
Motor City Beach Bum
Tigers have lots of solid pitchers they can sell off. Erod and Lorenzen for starting pitchers, and bullpen lefties Shreve, Alexander and righties Lange and Foley IF they get blown away. On offence…pretty much no one who will bring back anything useful.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Trade Hinch to SD.
The Saber-toothed Superfife
Trade a reliever to Philly for a Song.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Lorenzen and Lange good thou you’d think they’d keep them since they have them under control. Was thinking the other side- Javy and Schoop and Jake Marisnick yikes
Motor City Beach Bum
Dave D had something up his sleeve when he grabbed Song from Boston (he knows the kid since he drafted him). The year he was drafted I was hoping the Tigers might grab him (even with the military commitnment). Makes for a good joke but your idea has some meat on the bones too in my opinion.
tigerdoc616
Have seen in other areas that Boyd’s injury is a UCL sprain, not a tear. Is that what this has come to, that everyone just gets surgery? Just do it in hopes he can come back full strength in 2025?
Still a lot to learn about the causes, and prevention of UCL injuries. But available evidence suggests all the throwing pitchers do as a young kid. In the past, kids played 2-3 sports, threw just during baseball season. Didn’t throw with maximum effort on every pitch. That evolved into skipping other sports, playing travel ball and training year round and throwing hard every pitch. That became the norm because if you were not doing that, you were not going to get noticed, get college scholarships or pro scouts to notice you. Pile on to that the ever increasing focus on the three true outcomes so if you are not striking out guys left and right you are not doing your job as a pitcher. Human arms are just not built for that type of use.
Many Tigers fans were enraged when Avila drafted Jackson Jobe over Marcelo Mayer (I literally screamed). But Jobe is the antithesis of the current model of pitching development. He never really threw much as a young player, never focused on baseball until HS. He throws naturally with a lot of spin so his arm hasn’t been taxed like a lot of other pitchers. Time will tell if that pays off or not.
And whether or not it pays off for Jobe and the TIgers, little is going to change. Nearly all the pitchers in the majors and minors got there by throwing a lot of pitches hard starting very young. So there is going to be a lot of TJ surgeries for quite a while. And while some progressive youth coach’s are trying to dial back their young pitchers, starting them later, having them play other sports, not throwing all year, far too many are not. And the pressure to stand out and gain an advantage will still lead a lot of kids, parents and coaches to continue on that destructive path.
stymeedone
Jobe had TJ, too.
moteus
Sadly, doc, I’m afraid I just HAVE to agree with pretty much everything you just wrote.
dkhits20
Yeah, the diagnosis was “partial sprain of the UCL.” Not even a full sprain. And by the time he’s recovered, he’ll be 34 years old. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but I wish him the best.
Zzzaaaach
That’s unfortunate, he was seemingly starting to find his rhythm again
oscar gamble
Bummer!
Dumpster Divin Theo
There’s now a Void where Boyd once sat
User 3595123227
This type of surgery is almost unheard of in todays game with the babyish ways pitchers are treated. Pitch counts,late season shutdowns, 4 inning starts and so on.
JayRyder
How Many is this so far ?
gotigers68
My elbow hurts, just reading all of this……