In all reality, Matthew Boyd has thrown his final pitch of the season. And there's a chance he's thrown the final pitch of his Tigers career. There's a chance the two-time Opening Day starter ends his seven-year run in Detroit on the shelf with a sore elbow.
The Tigers will learn more Wednesday when Boyd visits with noted Tommy John practitioner Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. They'll learn, in all probability, whether Boyd needs the dreaded surgery that's already claimed rotation mate Spencer Turnbull this season and, by extension, whether he remains part of their future beginning in 2022.
Asked about Boyd's place in the Tigers' plans moving forward, A.J. Hinch said Wednesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show that the 30-year-old lefty is part of "an interesting conversation about who’s part of next season and who are the question marks, and certainly health plays into that."
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"There are going to be some gut-wrenching decisions that we have to make," Hinch said. "If we can get a positive review from Dr. Meister today and tomorrow, that’s going to determine a little bit more of the eagerness to stick with Matt. I know you believe in the person, I believe in the person. That matters when you’re building a team. So if he’s healthy, he’s a part of what we’re doing. If he’s not it makes it a little murky."
To be clear, nothing about Boyd's future will be finalized this week. The only thing that feels certain is that he won't pitch again this season as the Tigers err on the side of caution. He returned in August from a two-month stint on the injured list due to arm soreness, only to return to the IL with elbow soreness two starts later. He has a career-low 3.89 ERA entering the final arbitration year of his contract. Free agency is next.
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"I love Matt Boyd," said Hinch. "I think he’s terrific behind the scenes, he’s a great ambassador for the game. When he’s been healthy he’s been really good this season. We quickly forget how good he was in the first three months of the season because he got hurt. We need pitching."
Boyd has a $6.5 million salary this year. It would likely cost the Tigers about $8 million to bring him back for 2022, assuming a clean bill of health. But the math can change quickly. If Boyd can't pitch again until 2023, the Tigers may not bring him back at all. His meeting with Dr. Meister will go a long way toward providing some answers.
Other highlights from Hinch's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On the plan at catcher for 2022: "I think we’re going to have to be patient with that position, it’s really hard to find. You never really see any catchers on the market that are the appropriate age or at the appropriate development stage because they get signed. It’s like a quarterback, you don’t see these guys on the free agent market very often. They’re anchors for what you do behind the plate and the game-planning. Eric Haase has made himself very much a part of the picture. How much will depend on what the market brings. We do have some guys that have filled in admirably. ... Dillon Dingler is not a factor yet. He’s got plenty to work on in the minors before he’s a player that we’re going to turn to. So that evaluation process is going to be pretty thorough and it might depend a little bit on where the rest of your expenditures go. I don’t know what’s going to happen in free agency, but it’s a position we’re going to have to circle as a hot topic after the season.
On proclaiming Spencer Torkelson as the Tigers' first baseman of the future: "I wasn’t here when we drafted him, but talking to Al (Avila) and the group there’s still hope that he’s going to move a little bit around the field. I just want to kind of rip the band-aid off and say, 'By the way, his bat is really what we drafted.' Playing him at first is really the most likely scenario, especially as he comes fast. I mean, Jeimer Candelario has done some pretty good things at third base, so I don’t think we can just turn everything over to Tork coming out of the minor leagues. In the spring I learned a little bit of the dilemma of first and third and I just put him at first. It’s his naturally better position. We’ll still dabble a little bit at third, but I came out publicly just because I think we have to be transparent and be honest both with him and with our fans that, look, if this kid comes pretty fast he’s going to play first base. Jeimer Candelario has cemented himself as our third baseman right now. Who knows what goes into this over the next decade, but being honest and transparent, first base is the most likely outcome."