Alex Cobb Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day

Until the Tigers’ recent re-signing of Jack Flaherty, their one-year, $15MM deal with Alex Cobb had been their lone rotation add of the winter and was tied for their largest-scale pickup overall. The signing of Cobb came at a relative premium even though he was limited to just three regular season starts in 2024, with much of that layoff due to recovery from surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip. Now, it seems his other hip is hobbling him; the Tigers announced yesterday that Cobb received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right hip to alleviate inflammation that has “gradually” arisen during his throwing program. Per manager A.J. Hinch, Cobb will be set back by about a month and isn’t likely to be ready to slot into the Opening Day rotation (link via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com).

It’s an immediate blow to the Tigers’ staff, though Detroit is better positioned than most clubs to handle an absence (be it short- or long-term). Reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is locked into the top spot on the staff. Flaherty is back to take the No. 2 spot. Righties Reese Olson and Casey Mize give Hinch a pair of reliable arms in the third and fourth spots on the staff.

Top prospect Jackson Jobe was already going to be in the mix for a possible rotation spot this spring, and he’ll now have an even clearer path. He’ll have competition both in the form of veteran arms and fellow up-and-comers. Righty Kenta Maeda is currently slated for a swingman role, but it’s feasible that a pitcher with his track record could pitch his way back into the mix with a big spring showing. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster are righties Keider Montero, Matt Manning and Ty Madden, as well as lefty Brant Hurter. All have at least some degree of big league experience. Former big leaguer Dietrich Enns is also in camp on a minor league deal after a decent showing in the Korea Baseball Organization last year.

Cobb, 37, pitched just 16 1/3 innings during the regular season last year. He added 5 2/3 frames of postseason ball and another 23 in the minors, bringing him to a combined 45 frames on the year. Beyond the hip issue, Cobb battled shoulder fatigue and some blisters on his pitching hand.

Injuries are common for Cobb, but he’s generally been effective when healthy — especially in the latter stages of his career. Up through 2016, Cobb worked primarily off a four-seamer/curveball/changeup repertoire. Whether due to struggles in his return from 2015 Tommy John surgery or another reason, he’s revamped that arsenal over the years and also found some extra life on his pitches.

Cobb’s primary offering is now a sinker that’s averaged 94.6 mph over the past 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 in the mid-80s to a splitter that averaged 89.6 mph in 2022-24. He’s still relying on a knuckle curve, but the pitch now sits 83-84 mph rather than 79-80 mph like it did in his early days.

While Cobb’s injury is an unwelcome development early in camp, at this point there’s no indication it’ll be a long-term issue. And, if he’s truly set back by about a month, he could still get going in mid-March, perhaps setting him up for a mid-April team debut. As such, the Tigers don’t necessarily seem like they’ll need to dip back into the free agent market for rotation arms, though further setbacks from Cobb or additional injuries on the staff could always change the outlook.