Detroit Tigers: Matthew Boyd could have a bullpen role in his future

The Detroit Tigers are going to be without southpaw Matthew Boyd for some time as he is headed to a Tommy John specialist. If he goes down with an injury and has to undergo surgery, it will have quite a negative effect on Boyd as well as the players around him.

There’s no way around it; being without Matthew Boyd in the starting rotation is going to be detrimental to the Detroit Tigers organization. It was announced that Boyd is going to see a Tommy John specialist, and they already lost Spencer Turnbull to surgery this year.

Being without Boyd would suck, but if he undergoes surgery, there is going to be more to ponder than just a timeline to return. Boyd’s continued struggled with an arm injury means he could very well end up in a very different role than he has right now.

Things could very well change to the point where Boyd is used out of the bullpen as a left-handed long reliever. It sucks to say, but it’s something the Tigers are going to need to consider when Boyd returns, whether that is in 2021 or far from it after Tommy John Surgery.

Detroit Tigers southpaw Matthew Boyd could end up in the bullpen.

Boyd has already had his season cut short in 2021, but the injury issues are only making things worse. So far, Boyd has made 15 total starts where he has pitched to a 3.89 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Injuries have kept him off the field, and now the possibility of surgery is looming.

Playing out the two hypotheticals, it seems like keeping Boyd in a bullpen role might be the best of the two options, to be quite frank. If he undergoes surgery, he’s going to need to be phased back in. Rather than putting him in the rotation, let the young guys take over.

In that case, they would make Boyd their lefty bullpen arm who can be called upon for longer relief appearances, or be the mop-up game guy if the team needs to save face in the bullpen. If he undergoes surgery, his return is going to take time, and mixing him back in via the bullpen is a solid strategy.

The bottom line is that the Tigers will have to figure out something with Boyd, and honestly, putting him in the bullpen is not all that bad. It’s not the result he’s probably going to want, but it may be best.

Especially given that the team is going to start looking to the younger crowd of starting pitchers, Boyd in the bullpen is a good thing. The Tigers should weigh things out before making any decisions but expect the “Boyd to the bullpen rumors” to heat up.