Joe

Boyle

We’re not sure whether the Rays place greater value on Boyle or the 36th overall pick in the draft, but those were the two biggest gets here. Boyle has a fantastic arm that has rarely proven capable of throwing strikes. He seemed to make great strides initially after the A’s acquired him from the Rays at the 2023 trade deadline, but he took a couple of steps back last season in totaling a 6.42 ERA and 40 walks in 47 2/3 innings in the majors and a 5.12 ERA and 39 walks in 45 2/3 innings in Triple-A. The Rays will probably have him start games in Triple-A initially, but if he’s going to make an impact, it seems more likely to happen as a reliever.

The A’s are going to roll the dice on an obviously talented lefty, but one with injury questions after returning from Tommy John surgery last year and getting shut down with additional elbow issues at the end of the season. They could afford to deal from their rotation depth with Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen back. Boyle adds to that depth, though he’s more likely to be helpful as a reliever.

Boyle is back to help the Oakland pitching staff over the finale week. Brandon Bielak was designated for assignment to make room for the 25-year-old right-hander.

Two poor starts out of three got Boyle sent to the pen last week, and he walked three and gave up three runs in one-third of an inning in his first relief appearance, leading to his demotion to Triple-A today. He remains one of the organization’s most intriguing arms, but it hasn’t happened for him this year. He has a 7.12 ERA and a 49/36 K/BB in 43 innings in the majors.

Boyle tossed a clean first inning, then struggled in the second, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks. Jake Bauers later took him deep for a two-run homer in the fifth. Boyle’s day would be done after five at 104 pitches. He struck out eight. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 6.54 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and a 49/33 K/BB ratio across 42 2/3 innings into a start against the Rangers in Texas on Friday.

The singles from Josh Lowe and Yandy Díaz were the Rays’ only hits of the night. Boyle had his best stuff of the year tonight, averaging 98.9 mph with his fastball. That’s up 1.9 mph from his season average. The win makes him 3-5 with a 6.21 ERA. We still wouldn’t trust him in mixed leagues at this point.

Boyle made it through the first four innings unscathed but gave up four runs in the fifth thanks to an RBI double by Brandon Nimmo and a two-RBI single by Pete Alonso. Boyle didn’t retire any of the five batters he faced in the fifth inning, and was pulled in favor of Austin Adams after walking Mark Vientos with no outs and a runner on first. It was a tough outing for Boyle, who, despite tying a season-high with six strikeouts, has now allowed eight earned runs over his last five innings pitched. He’s well off the fantasy radar for his next outing, which is scheduled to come on Monday against the Rays.

Boyle, 24, has been outstanding in Triple-A as of late with a 1.83 ERA and ridiculous 38/7 K/BB over his 19 2/3 innings. The right-hander has shown some decent moments in the majors, but he’s tough to trust as a fantasy option for a wide variety of reasons.

He allowed just one hit and one walk. Boyle has been very inconsistent this season, but it looks like he figured something out a few weeks ago; he has a 1.83 ERA and a 38/7 K/BB ratio in 19 2/3 innings over his last four outings. The A’s might give him another look soon.

Boyle will remain stationed at Triple-A Las Vegas as extra starting pitching depth after wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment. The 24-year-old’s control issues put a lid on his ceiling at the highest level as he remains a work in progress. He compiled a bloated 7.16 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 29/23 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings (seven starts) prior to landing on the shelf last month with a back strain.