Knights Alum Matt Boyd of Detriot Called Up.
April 24, 2016Shines in 2016 Debut
Southpaw pitcher Matt Boyd became the seventh Knights alum to appear in a major-league game in 2016 when he threw 4.2 innings of scoreless relief for the Detroit Tigers on Sunday against Cleveland at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Boyd was recalled from Toledo of the triple-A International League on Saturday to fill the roster spot vacated by closer Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez was placed on the family medical emergency list to attend to an undisclosed family matter.
MLB rules require a player to spend a minimum of three days on the list. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said there is no clear timetable for how long Rodriguez will be on leave.
Boyd was warming up to pitch against Charlotte on Saturday night when he learned he was being promoted for his second stint with the Tigers. He originally joined them on July 30, 2015, when he and fellow lefties Daniel Norris and Jairo Labourt were sent to the Tigers in exchange for all-star lefty David Price.
He was 1-2, 2.25 in three starts at Toledo this season, with 16 strikeouts in 16 innings. Boyd was a combined 1-6, 7.53 in 13 appearances with Toronto and Detroit in 2015, with 43 strikeouts in 57.1 innings. He was Detroit's final cut in spring training this year.
He is the second member of the 2010 Knights to appear in a major-league game this season, joining third baseman Matt Duffy of the San Francisco Giants.
Five other alums have played in the majors this year. Pitchers Greg Mahle (2012) of the Angels, Bud Norris (2005) of the Braves, Marc Rzepczynski (2006) of the A's and Josh Osich (2008) of the Giants, and catcher Chris Stewart (2010) of the Pirates, have also appeared.
A two-way player for the 2010 Knights following his freshman season at Oregon State, Boyd hit .196 (10-51) with a homer and seven RBIs in 23 games as a position player, and was 0-1, 1.55 in 14 games as a pitcher, with four saves and 33 strikeouts in 29 innings. He was honorable-mention all-WCL, and ranked as the league's No. 22 pro prospect by Perfect Game.
Boyd was 22-5 with a 2.13 ERA in 101 games with the Beavers from 2010 through 2013. Primarily a reliever his first three years, he became OSU's Friday-night starter as a senior and earned All-American honors by going 11-4 with a 2.04 ERA.
He helped lead OSU to a Pacific-12 Conference championship and a berth in the College World Series, where he shut out Indiana 1-0 in his lone starting appearance in Omaha. He finished his college career with eight saves and 216 strikeouts in 258.1 innings.
Boyd signed with Toronto shortly after being selected in the sixth round of the 2013 draft, and moved quickly through their farm system en route to the majors, with stops at Lansing (A Midwest, 2013); Dunedin (A Florida State, 2013-014); New Hampshire (AA Eastern, 2013-14) and Buffalo (AAA International, 2014, 2015).
