Boyd optimistic as he nears return to mound

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The smile hasn’t seemed to come off of Matthew Boyd’s face since he signed with Cleveland. It was there in the media room, as he answered questions about his medical journey. It was there with his family in the dugout before Saturday’s game (the Guardians beat the Giants, 5-4). And it certainly was there coming off of the mound after his live batting- practice session at Progressive Field.

Boyd can’t stop saying it: He finally feels like himself again. It’s been a long road to get to this point. The veteran left-hander knows that these past few years haven’t been great. In September 2021, Boyd underwent left flexor tendon surgery. He returned in September 2022 for just 10 appearances out of the Mariners’ bullpen before the postseason began. He was back with the Tigers in 2023, but nothing seemed to be working.

By the end of that season, Boyd's ERA sat at 5.45 after 15 starts, so he had to look inward to solve the issue.

“It’s been, 'OK, what’s the thing holding me back now?' It’s health,” Boyd said. “With that first surgery, [I] thought everything was figured out, and it wasn’t yet. That’s nobody’s fault. … It was like, 'OK, it’s just not right now, but it will be.' My time will come to show what I have.”

Boyd underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023 and then went through an offseason not knowing where or when he’d play next. But Boyd was confident he’d play again. Twelve months later, he was throwing off of a mound and showcasing himself to interested clubs. It was the Guardians who seemed like the best fit.

The two sides came to an agreement, and everything that Boyd had been working for over the past year led him to Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field, facing Austin Hedges, Gabriel Arias and Will Brennan in live batting practice to prove that he still has something left in the tank. And there were hardly any balls that were put in play.

The ones that were hit seemed like outs, but it was hard to tell considering there were no fielders on the diamond. But mostly, Boyd was missing bats. His heater sat at 91-93 mph, and his breaking pitches appeared to have good shape and movement – things he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Boyd had only faced three batters for two innings, throwing 30-some pitches, but it was a strong first impression that front-office personnel filled the home dugout to see.

The key to get here, for Boyd, has been his unrelenting optimism and intense focus on his current task. And to be able to reach his ultimate goal of returning to Major League action, he knows he has to stick to that process.

“I have today,” Boyd said. “Like those things, we’ll put that on the calendar, we’ll circle it and know that good things are ahead. Let’s take care of today first.”

There’s no way to know what the Guardians will do before the Trade Deadline on July 30. They know starting pitching is at the top of their list of needs. But with a thin market, maybe that’s not possible. But no matter what, they have a little extra depth in Boyd, who can hopefully return to action in August.

And if his excitement about the way he’s feeling is any indication of what’s to come, it seems as though a new and improved Boyd is ready to toe the rubber.

“I know who I am as a pitcher on the mound, and that’s what I feel like I’m starting to get back [to],” Boyd said. “That’s what I feel like I am and that’s what I feel like, not that things are going the right way, it’s back [to], and that’s exciting."