Tigers' Boyd had COVID-19 scare after helping injured teen outside home
Matthew Boyd played the role of Good Samaritan away from the ballpark and suffered his own health scare as a result.
The Detroit Tigers left-hander had a COVID-19 scare at his home that came about in bizarre fashion. A high school student whom Boyd hired to mow his lawn got hurt while on the job, and the pitcher instinctively left his house to help him. The student, who was asymptomatic, later tested positive for the virus while receiving proper medical attention.
"I didn't have a mask on because I was just reacting to help," Boyd explained, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. "So because of that really weird circumstance, I called our training staff and let them know. We played it safe and went and got a rapid test."
The circumstances forced Boyd to miss Tuesday's workouts while isolating at home. Fortunately, his entire family tested negative, and he was allowed to return to camp Wednesday where he threw four innings in an intrasquad game at Comerica Park.
Boyd added his entire household "will continue to test every day and follow every protocol" until they're in the clear.
The 29-year-old posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.230 WHIP with a career-high 238 strikeouts in 32 starts for Detroit last season. He's likely to be the team's Opening Day starter next week.
Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris confirmed last week that he tested positive for COVID-19.