With Each Appearance, Curiosity and Questions Surround Rays Righty Joe Boyle

TAMPA, Fla. — Each appearance by Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Joe Boyle is accompanied by a forward-facing mentality and the question of how he will respond the next time he is called upon.

After a solid two-inning outing by Boyle aided the Rays in an 11-1 blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, the question remains.

“I’ll be curious to see how he feels, how he bounces back,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said on Saturday. “Now, it’s a matter of how he bounces back; it’s a big arm with a lot of power.”

After coming to Tampa Bay in the trade that sent Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez to the Athletics last December, Boyle made his first appearance in a Rays uniform in a spot starting role, earning a win after producing seven strikeouts through a five-inning effort in an 8-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on April 13. The following day, the Rays optioned Boyle to Triple-A Durham while recalling right-hander Eric Orze.

Since his recall to the Rays on July 6, Boyle has served in a long relief role, pitching 11 innings over three games with 10 strikeouts while allowing five hits, four walks and two earned runs.

“We’ve certainly condensed the role, but talking to Jorge [Moncada], talking to Kyle [Snyder], they feel that the way he bounces back from his longer outings or starts, he should take to this really, really well,” Cash added. 

“We are very encouraged by the way that he came in and threw strikes and was super efficient. “That’s kind of what you want to see out of the most powerful bullpen arms.”

In his role as a reliever, Cash also emphasized that Boyle’s appearances aren’t scripted.

“I think if he throws two innings, most likely it’s two days down,” Cash said. “If he throws one inning, then we’d have to check.”