SEATTLE — Detroit Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd grimaced when he sailed his 15th pitch to the backstop in the first inning of his June 26 start against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
“I just knew something was wrong,” Boyd said.
Two days later, Boyd — who recovered from flexor tendon surgery and returned to the big leagues last September — underwent Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow for the first time in his career.
“It’s unfortunate, obviously, because I want to keep helping this team on the field this season,” Boyd said at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, speaking with reporters for the first time since surgery. “But it’s exciting to know what’s ahead to finally feel really, really good. I know what I can do when I do feel good, so that part is exciting.”
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Sometimes, Boyd wonders why, after battling back from flexor tendon surgery, he has been tasked with overcoming another major arm surgery in a two-year span, especially since all he wants to do is pitch for the Tigers.
There’s a chance Boyd won’t pitch again until the 2025 season. The typical recovery time for the elbow procedure is 12 to 18 months.
The 32-year-old might not pitch again until age 34.
Boyd, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Tigers in the offseason, seems at peace with the past surgeries, present situation and future uncertainty. He also seems confident in his ability to bounce back.
“Something wasn’t right,” Boyd said. “There was nothing indicating anything other than just going through what we thought would be the first year back starting, and turns out, it was something a little more. I already feel better now, and that part is exciting. It’s exciting to go forward.
“I’m going to feel healthy after this rehab, and I’m going to go do exactly what I said I was going to do here. My best baseball is ahead of me, and I’m excited to go out there and do that after this rehab.”
Boyd finished the 2023 season with a 5.45 ERA, 25 walks (8.3% walk rate) and 73 strikeouts (24.1% strikeout rate) across 71 innings in 15 starts. His strikeout numbers were climbing in June as his individual performance improved slightly despite surrendering a slew of home runs.
He didn’t make it to July.
“I didn’t feel like I was at my best, but I felt like I was walking into my best,” Boyd said. “In my belief, I was like, ‘By the end of this year, I’m going to feel better because my game keeps elevating and elevating.’ That’s the part that hurts the most. It did feel like that. I felt like the guy I wanted to be was right around the corner, but obviously, there was something holding me back in a way.”
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Back in December, Boyd was the first player signed to a major-league contract by Scott Harris, the Tigers’ new president of baseball operations. He hasn’t pitched more than 78⅔ innings since the 2019 season.
Boyd felt like he had “unfinished business” in his return to the Tigers. He previously pitched parts of seven seasons, from 2015-21, for the Tigers while developing as a young starting pitcher in the big leagues.
After rehabbing, Boyd will get to showcase what he views as a brand-new left arm. The UCL in his elbow has been reconstructed, and based on the recent surgeries, there’s limited mileage on his shoulder.
That part keeps him motivated.
“This is what needed to happen,” Boyd said. “Get it fixed and come out stronger on the back end of it. I feel excited for the other side. I know what I can do when I’m healthy. It’s not giddy optimism. It’s not anything like that. It’s truly understanding that I know my ability and believe in it.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.