CHICAGO — At age 34, Matthew Boyd is going back to what was once familiar territory for the left-hander. He has logged 130 2/3 innings so far in his first season with the Chicago Cubs, more than he totaled in the previous two years combined.
It’s a workload jump that goes against what had become conventional wisdom in the majors, where teams have frequently capped pitchers’ innings in hopes of keeping them healthy.
“Things have been going great,” Boyd said. “And I think it’s like none of us know what’s ahead. And that goes for everybody.”
Boyd’s workload is worth watching as the Cubs try to rally in the NL Central race and go on a deep October run. He is among a group of pitchers going through a spike in innings in the heart of the playoff picture.
After spending most of his career as a reliever, Clay Holmes has 117 1/3 innings going into his 23rd start for the Mets. Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo is up to 127 innings after he finished with 66 2/3 last year. All-Stars Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox and Bryan Woo of the Mariners also are progressing toward major increases.
“That’s something we always monitor and watch,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I know we’re in constant communication in-between starts.”
The days of predetermined innings limits, especially when it comes to young prospects and pitchers on losing teams, aren’t going away anytime soon. But more organizations appear to be going with a case-by-case approach.
“I think the reason why it’s changed a little bit and we don’t look at that either percentage increase or fixed innings increase is because it wasn’t working,” said David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for the Mets.
“I think more and more we’re trying to treat each pitcher as an individual. And if a pitcher feels good both subjectively and objectively, we try not to artificially shut them down.”
Crochet, 26, helped show what might be possible last year. The 6-foot-6 left-hander, who had Tommy John surgery in April 2022, began last season with 73 innings in 72 appearances spanning four seasons with the White Sox.
He made his first big league start on opening day. With the White Sox closely monitoring his workload in the last part of the season, he finished with 32 starts and 146 innings. He is tied for the major league lead with 141 1/3 innings going into his start against Kansas City.
“I think that I really set myself up for this season to go out there and for there really to be no leash necessary,” said Crochet, who was traded to the Red Sox in December and then agreed to a six-year, $170 million contract. “I’ve been feeling really good throughout the season and the five days in between my starts I really feel like I’m prepared and doing a lot to get my body in the right position to have success and to continue to give length throughout the year.”
Boyd was recovering from Tommy John surgery when he signed with Cleveland last year. He returned to the majors last August and went 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts and 39 2/3 innings for the Guardians. He also pitched 11 2/3 innings for the AL Central champions in the playoffs.
That was enough for Chicago to give Boyd a two-year, $29 million contract in free agency. And he has delivered so far, making the NL All-Star team while going 11-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 22 starts.
Boyd pitched a career-high 185 1/3 innings for Detroit in 2019, but he hasn’t approached that territory since. The Cubs gave him nine days off between starts over the All-Star break, and Boyd has frequent conversations with manager Craig Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy about his workload and how he is feeling.
The Cubs also have rookie right-hander Cade Horton, who is up to 102 2/3 innings this season — including his time with Triple-A Iowa — after he totaled 34 1/3 innings in the minors last year.
“This is an area where the industry has not maybe figured out the answer, so you’re just trying to keep getting better answers,” Counsell said. “I think in the past, we were just relying on history. I think now we’re relying on the data we collect from the actual player.”
Communication is one thing, but an array of metrics and biomechanical analysis is at the center of the decision-making process when it comes to pitchers and rest.
“There’s tangible things that you just keep an eye on,” Boyd said. “You have your spin data, you have your velocity. We have biomechanics tracking. It’s like, ‘Hey, the mechanics are getting out of whack. … Is there something we need to address? How do you address that?’
“There’s so many different avenues you can go down and levers you can pull if you will. And it’s not as cut and dry as like 20% increase, 50% increase (in innings).”
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