The bad news is that Matthew Boyd is headed for "significant surgery" on his elbow, A.J. Hinch said Friday. The good news is that it's not Tommy John.
Instead, Boyd will have his left flexor tendon repaired with the hope of pitching -- and pitching for the Tigers -- next season.
"When you get notable doctors across the country agreeing that this is the best-case scenario for him given the elbow pain that he had, we see that as a positive," said Hinch.
So does Boyd, who consulted last week with arm specialists Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache before reaching his decision. Dr. Meister will perform the surgery, which Boyd said has a higher recovery rate than Tommy John, Monday in Dallas.
"They’re just going to clean up the tendon a little bit. The ligament they said is solid, looks fine, strong. So let’s clean this up so I can be healthy for next season and do everything I can to help this team win a World Series," said Boyd.
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It's not clear when Boyd will be back on the mound. He described his timeframe as wait-and-see. Hinch said the initial word from the doctors is that it's not a surgery "that's expected to keep him out all next season." That's the positive compared to Tommy John, which would have sidelined Boyd until 2023.
It's also not clear where Boyd will be back on the mound. He's entering his final year of arbitration with the Tigers, who may or may not offer him a new contract this winter. Hinch has already described Boyd as a potentially 'gut-wrenching decision' for the club given the questions about his health.
Boyd, who pitched well this season prior to his injury and who turns 31 in February, said in an ideal world he'd be back in Detroit in 2022.
"That’s all I can plan on," he said. "There’s nothing else besides that right now. And if that path does change, then I'll attack that and I’ll be who I am for somebody else and do everything I can to help them win a championship. But right now it’s the Tigers. It’s just stuff that’s not up to me."
GM Al Avila said Friday that the Tigers are open to re-signing Boyd, pending his health following surgery. He'd likely land about $8 million through arbitration. A two-year deal with a lower annual salary might make more sense for the player and the club.
"After the surgery’s done we’ll see where he’s at and where we’re at. There’s a potential deal to be made, but not really prepared to speak about that right now and not really making 100 percent commitment at this point either. We will re-assess that, we’ll discuss it in the offseason after the surgery’s over and see where we go with that," Avila said.
Boyd had a career-low 3.44 ERA through his first 13 starts of the season before hitting the injured list with elbow soreness in June. He said Friday he was beginning "to realize the best baseball I’ve ever pitched." That feels like a long time ago now, but it still matters to the Tigers.
"When you look back at how he was able to recapture some of his effectiveness that has made him a really good pitcher at this level from Opening Day to when he got first hurt, he was very, very good," said Hinch. "He was a reliable pitcher that could get deeper into the games and give us a chance to win."
Hinch added, "I’m all aboard with Matt Boyd. I think he’s part of the solution. Obviously it factors in where he’s at in his career and his age and his contract. All that stuff’s going to be taken care of eventually. But as a person and a player, Matt Boyd’s a winner."
Whether he's a winner again in Detroit remains to be seen. Wherever he begins what he called "Act II of my career," Boyd said he's "going to come back healthy, stronger and better than I was before."
"It’s exciting that I get to put this behind me and be uninhibited going forward with everything that I have gained this year," he said. "Everything else will take care of itself. Wherever I pick up a baseball next year, they’re going to get the best version of Matthew Boyd."