The Detroit Tigers have sat comfortably atop the American League Central this season, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t needed some help along the way. Injuries to Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson weakened the starting rotation, and the Tigers went out of their way to acquire Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack at last month’s trade deadline.
While both acquisitions have flashed since arriving in Detroit, the Tigers had a different plan in mind. The Tigers signed Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract last winter, but the veteran right-hander has yet to make his Detroit debut due to a lingering hip injury.
Cobb’s rehab process has been off-and-on throughout the summer, and time is running out for him to make good on his contract. But with the calendar about to turn to September, there’s a sense that Cobb may never take the mound for the Tigers following his latest injury update.
Tigers Plan to Halt Alex Cobb’s Rehab Process for One Week
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers will pull Cobb off his latest rehab assignment this week. While an update on Tuesday noted that Cobb was “completing rehab daily,” Hinch framed it as a way to restart the veteran’s assignment window as it approaches its 30th day.
Players are allotted to complete a rehab assignment and go on a new one, but they must halt baseball activities for one week before opening a new 30-day window. While the rest may do Cobb some good, the chances of him making a start for the Tigers are starting to dwindle as the season winds down.
Cobb was debating retirement this past offseason but came back to attempt to finish his career on his terms. He’s battled pain in both hips since Spring Training and has thrown a total of 19.2 innings in multiple rehab assignments with Triple-A Toledo and High-A West Michigan, posting a 2.75 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 12 walks.
But the process has felt like a step forward and two steps back. The Tigers have tried to get Cobb going by limiting him to somewhere between 30 to 50 pitches in his outings. But with the season entering its final month, it’s unlikely the Tigers would include him on their late-season roster, which expands to 28 players on Monday, or their postseason roster.
While Cobb has said the right things, the Tigers need some results sooner than later, making his latest pause another week in a wasted free agent decision.