The Athletics placed Boyle on the 15-day IL on Monday due to a lower-back strain.
Boyle's move to the IL comes one day after he struggled in his start against the Marlins on Sunday, when he allowed four runs on one hit and three walks over one inning en route to taking his fifth loss of the season. According to MLB.com, Boyle initially attempted to pitch through back pain in the start, but the issue "got progressively worse" as the game went along. Mitch Spence covered 4.2 innings out of the bullpen and could be a candidate to enter the rotation when Boyle's next turn comes up this weekend in Seattle.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Chased in first inning
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Boyle (2-5) yielded four runs on a hit and three walks over one inning Sunday, striking out one batter and taking a loss against Miami.
Boyle narrowly escaped the first frame after coughing up a three-run shot to Nick Gordon. It was the shortest start of the year for Boyle, and he threw just 16 of 35 pitches for strikes. The command has been a constant problem for him this season; Boyle has registered a 29:23 K:BB with a 7.16 ERA through 27.2 innings. As of now, he's in line for a start in Seattle next weekend.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Sustains back injury Sunday
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Boyle, who was lifted after one inning in Sunday's loss to the Marlins, was suffering from lower-back pain that got worse the more he threw during the frame, MLB.com reports.
Boyle's performance clearly seemed to be affected by his physical limitations, as he allowed four earned runs on a hit and three walks over his sole inning on the mound. Manager Mark Kotsay confirmed Boyle would undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, at which point the right-hander's chances of making his next scheduled start Saturday against the Mariners will become clearer. Per Sonja Chen of MLB.com, right-handers Osvaldo Bido and Joey Estes, both of whom have big-league experience and are on the 40-man roster, are candidates to be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas should Boyle miss at least one turn through the rotation, although she adds Oakland has long relievers Mitch Spence and Kyle Muller as options on the big-league roster.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Collects second win
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Boyle (2-4) yielded a run on one hit and four walks over five innings Monday, striking out four and earning a win over the Pirates.
Boyle was charged with a run on a wild pitch in the first inning but otherwise didn't face much trouble. However, his command still continues to cause issues; he threw just 45 of 91 pitches for strikes, including only six whiffs. Boyle now owns a chaotic 28:20 K:BB with a 6.08 ERA through 26.2 innings (six starts). He's completed over five innings just one time this season. Boyle's next matchup is currently projected to be at home against the Marlins this weekend.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Early exit in loss
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Boyle (1-4) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks over three innings as the A's fell 7-3 to the Yankees. He struck out six.
The rookie right-hander needed 85 pitches (50 strikes) to record only nine outs, and while Boyle continues to miss bats, he isn't offering much else from a fantasy standpoint. He's issued at least three free passes in four of his five starts to begin the season, stumbling to a 7.06 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 24:16 K:BB through 21.2 innings. He lines up to make his next outing at home early next week against the Pirates.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Gives up seven Friday
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Boyle (1-3) allowed seven earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three batters across six innings during Friday's 10-2 loss versus Cleveland.
Boyle was able to keep Cleveland's offense relatively quiet for the first four innings, allowing only a Tyler Freeman two-run home run in the second inning. However, he was lit up for another five runs in the fifth and the 24-year-old righty now owns a lofty 7.23 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across his first four starts, giving him very little fantasy appeal even in the deepest of leagues.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Dealt tough-luck loss
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Boyle (1-2) suffered a tough-luck loss Saturday versus the Nationals. He yielded one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings of work.
Just one free pass from the big right-hander was an encouraging development after he surrendered seven of them across his first two outings. He nonetheless was dealt his second loss, as the Athletics offense was unable to do much against MacKenzie Gore and the Nationals bullpen. Boyle has 15 strikeouts over 12.2 frames this season, but unless he can string together multiple outings like this one where his control is adequate, the downside will likely continue to outweigh the upside.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Earns first win
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Boyle (1-1) earned the win Sunday against the Tigers, allowing zero runs on two hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out six.
After his first start of the season resulted in 12 baserunners and seven earned runs over just 2.2 innings, Boyle fared much better Sunday, striking out six and allowing no runs and just five baserunners to earn his first victory of the season. Despite the much-improved numbers, Boyle did struggle with his command, requiring 87 pitches to get through five innings and throwing fewer than half of those (43) for strikes. While the control is something to keep an eye on moving forward, Sunday's results were more in line with his brief stint in Oakland last season, when he earned two wins in three starts, striking out 15 and allowing just 13 baserunners over 16 innings.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Roughed up by BoSox
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Boyle (0-1) took the loss Monday against Boston, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and four walks across 2.2 innings. He struck out four.
Oddly enough, Boyle did a decent job limiting power, yielding just one extra-base hit on the day. However, a peppering of singles and a pair of untimely errors allowed the Red Sox to hang eight runs in the first three innings. While Boyle's 2024 debut was disappointing at best, there should still be slivers of hope for a turnaround after Boyle posted a 1.69 ERA in three big-league starts last season. Boyle will look to show his 2023 form in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to come Sunday at Detroit.
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Athletics' Joe Boyle: Earns rotation spot
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Manager Mark Kotsay named Boyle the Athletics' fifth starter Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Boyle was impressive in three big-league starts toward the end of last season, logging a 1.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 16 innings. However, he's been known to walk batters at an alarmingly high rate, and those troubles seemed to haunt him yet again this spring as he allowed 15 free passes over 18.1 frames. If the 24-year-old righty is able to bring down his walk rate, he appears to have the stuff to develop into a solid major-league starter.
