New Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Could Make His Debut Soon

Recent Cleveland Guardians acquisition Matthew Boyd could be joining the team's starting rotation soon.

May 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (48) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians signed left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd last month, knowing full well that he hadn't pitched since last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

However, the Guardians have been banking on Boyd joining their rotation at some point, and it looks like he could be making his big-league debut in Cleveland soon.

The veteran has made three rehab starts in the Guardians' minor-league system, with his last couple of outings coming at Double-A Akron. He will be making a start at Triple-A Columbus on Thursday and could very well join Cleveland's major-league rotation within the next couple of weeks, via Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

Boyd has gone 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA while allowing nine hits and registering 15 strikeouts over 12 innings through his minor-league starts in 2024.

The 33-year-old went 5-5 with a 5.45 ERA across 15 big-league outings with the Detroit Tigers in 2023 before going down with the elbow injury.

Boyd made his major-league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015 and was traded to the Tigers in the deal that sent David Price to the Blue Jays that same season.

He was a member of Detroit's starting rotation through 2021 before signing with the San Francisco Giants in March 2022. The Giants then dealt him to the Seattle Mariners in August of that year, and he went on to pitch 10 games out of the bullpen for the Mariners.

Boyd owns a lifetime 4.94 ERA over 174 appearances (160 starts).

The Mercer Island, Wa. native is not exactly a world-beater, but the Guardians desperately need starting pitching help.

Both Boyd and recent trade acquisition Alex Cobb (who also has not yet thrown a pitch in 2024) could be joining Cleveland's starting rotation soon.