Till the Tigers’ current re-signing of Jack Flaherty, their one-year, $15MM take care of Alex Cobb had been their lone rotation add of the winter and was tied for his or her largest-scale pickup general. The signing of Cobb got here at a relative premium though he was restricted to only three common season begins in 2024, with a lot of that layoff as a consequence of restoration from surgical procedure to restore the labrum in his left hip. Now, it appears his different hip is hobbling him; the Tigers introduced yesterday that Cobb obtained a platelet-rich plasma injection in his proper hip to alleviate irritation that has “steadily” arisen throughout his throwing program. Per supervisor A.J. Hinch, Cobb might be set again by a couple of month and isn’t prone to be prepared to fit into the Opening Day rotation (hyperlink by way of Evan Woodbery of MLive.com).
It’s an instantaneous blow to the Tigers’ employees, although Detroit is healthier positioned than most golf equipment to deal with an absence (be it short- or long-term). Reigning Cy Younger winner Tarik Skubal is locked into the highest spot on the employees. Flaherty is again to take the No. 2 spot. Righties Reese Olson and Casey Mize give Hinch a pair of dependable arms within the third and fourth spots on the employees.
High prospect Jackson Jobe was already going to be within the combine for a attainable rotation spot this spring, and he’ll now have a good clearer path. He’ll have competitors each within the type of veteran arms and fellow up-and-comers. Righty Kenta Maeda is presently slated for a swingman position, nevertheless it’s possible {that a} pitcher together with his monitor file may pitch his method again into the combination with a giant spring displaying. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster are righties Keider Montero, Matt Manning and Ty Madden, in addition to lefty Brant Hurter. All have a minimum of a point of massive league expertise. Former huge leaguer Dietrich Enns can also be in camp on a minor league deal after an honest displaying within the Korea Baseball Group final yr.
Cobb, 37, pitched simply 16 1/3 innings in the course of the common season final yr. He added 5 2/3 frames of postseason ball and one other 23 within the minors, bringing him to a mixed 45 frames on the yr. Past the hip situation, Cobb battled shoulder fatigue and a few blisters on his pitching hand.
Accidents are widespread for Cobb, however he’s usually been efficient when wholesome — particularly within the latter levels of his profession. Up by way of 2016, Cobb labored primarily off a four-seamer/curveball/changeup repertoire. Whether or not as a consequence of struggles in his return from 2015 Tommy John surgical procedure or one more reason, he’s revamped that arsenal through the years and likewise discovered some further life on his pitches.
Cobb’s major providing is now a sinker that’s averaged 94.6 mph over the previous three seasons — a notable uptick from the 91 mph he averaged on his four-seamer from 2011-16. He’s gone from a straight changeup within the mid-80s to a splitter that averaged 89.6 mph in 2022-24. He’s nonetheless counting on a knuckle curve, however the pitch now sits 83-84 mph relatively than 79-80 mph prefer it did in his early days.
Whereas Cobb’s damage is an unwelcome growth early in camp, at this level there’s no indication it’ll be a long-term situation. And, if he’s really set again by a couple of month, he may nonetheless get moving into mid-March, maybe setting him up for a mid-April crew debut. As such, the Tigers don’t essentially appear to be they’ll have to dip again into the free agent marketplace for rotation arms, although additional setbacks from Cobb or further accidents on the employees may at all times change the outlook.
