DETROIT — For one player, it’s a chance to come home and play for the team he worshipped as a kid growing up on Mercer Island and becoming a standout player in the Northwest.
For the other player, it’s verification that he’s finally found a home in his third organization and that his work and improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed or unrewarded.
On Thursday, the Mariners made roster moves that were expected based on them already being with the team on the road trip. The Mariners added left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd and outfielder Taylor Trammell with the active roster expanding to 28 players — 14 pitchers and 14 position players.
Boyd was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and added to Seattle’s 40-man roster while Trammell was recalled from the Rainiers.
In past years, teams could add any player on their 40-man roster to the active roster after Sept. 1, but that changed before the 2020 season, even before COVID-19 shut down baseball and limited it to a 60-game season.
While manager Scott Servais would probably prefer to have 15 pitchers and 13 position players, the addition of Trammell does offer another option in the outfield particularly with Dylan Moore on the 10-day injured list due to an oblique strain.
With Mitch Haniger slotted into the designated hitter spot for Thursday’s series finale at Comerica Park, Trammell was immediately inserted into the starting lineup in right field and batting ninth.
“You will see him play for us quite a bit,” Servais said. “Haniger is still going to get his DH days and being able to put him in the outfield when Hani is at DH is going to be important for us.”
Trammell will also see playing time in left field and can play center if needed.
Trammell went 0-for-3 with a walk but made a solid diving catch to end the third inning with a pair of runners on base.
Boyd, 31, was acquired, along with catcher Curt Casali, from the Giants at the MLB trade deadline despite being on the injured list as he recovered from flexor tendon surgery. He had not pitched in an MLB game this season. He was in the midst of a rehab assignment with the Giants when the Mariners acquired him.
“It was shocking,” he said. “I thought there was a 0% chance that someone that hadn’t pitched all year was going to get traded.”
In a bit of baseball serendipity, Boyd’s first game of the 2022 season came at Comerica Park against his former team.
Following a standout career at Eastside Catholic and later at Oregon State, Boyd was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 draft by the Blue Jays. He made his MLB debut in 2015 with Toronto. But it was after he was traded to the Tigers in midseason of 2016 as part of a package for David Price when Boyd established himself.
Over 6 ½ seasons with Detroit, he made 143 starts and four relief appearances, posting a 37-60 record and 4.87 ERA while battling injures in the 2021 season.
After signing as a free agent with the Giants this offseason, Boyd was elated to be traded to his hometown team.
“It was emotional for me,” he said on Monday. “It was emotional for my wife, emotional for my parents and just being thankful that I get to be part of this ballclub at this time in this season. It’s a dream come true to get the chance to do this and put on a Mariners uniform. When I put it on, it will hit me a little more. And when I get to walk out at T-Mobile … it’s hard to put into words.”
Boyd entered in the eighth inning with Seattle leading 7-0. He received a warm ovation from the 14,393 fans in attendance and several hat tips from his former teammates. He worked a 1-2-3 inning with three ground ball outs.
“It’s been like 361 days since my last outing, Sept. 4 of last year,” he said. “Coming back to Detroit, getting to pitch for my hometown team, all of it. Man, it’s cool and special.”
When he arrived in the dugout, his new teammates were already lined up to congratulate him on his return to the mound.
“That was really special,” he said. “That was really cool. Everybody knows that this is a special group. And you don’t understand how special it is until you’re in the clubhouse. That’s just a great example of it. I’ve been here for a month on and off because I’ve been rehabbing, but they all know what my journey has been like, and I’m truly thankful for that. It speaks to the character of everybody in that clubhouse.”