KANSAS CITY -- Alex Cobb started his Minor League rehab assignment Friday night with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts for High-A West Michigan at Dayton. But for an effective outing, the 37-year-old right-hander didn’t look particularly comfortable nor necessarily fully healthy in his return from right hip inflammation.
More than once during his 24-pitch, 16-strike outing, Cobb looked like he was fighting through hip discomfort, either wincing after a pitch or moving around uncomfortably. He limped around the mound after his second strikeout to begin the second inning, though he looked somewhat better after striking out his next batter.
As the Tigers look at their pitching options going into the summer, including potential fill-ins for injured Jackson Jobe, they’re having to weigh Cobb’s pure pitching against his mobility.
“I don’t think he’s feeling great physically, other than his delivery and being able to execute pitches,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The stuff [Friday] was really good and he looked like he was under a lot of stress. I haven’t spoken to him directly, but the information coming back is that he’s still battling a lot.
“I applaud him for what he’s trying to do, because he’s pitching through a lot of discomfort, but we’re going to have to continue to nudge him forward or continue to give him some rest so that he can continue to pitch.”
Cobb’s fastball sat at 92-93 mph, a tick down from his fastball average last year coming back from hip surgery. His split and curve looked effective. His lone baserunner reached on a ground-ball single to lead off his outing, and he erased that three pitches later with a ground-ball double play. He did not have to field a ball or cover a base.
“The stuff is good, which is the teaser,” Hinch continued, “because he can take the stuff he was pitching with last night in A ball and apply it in the big leagues and he’s going to get soft contact and miss like he always has. But moving around the mound has been a problem for him. We’re going to continue to nudge him and see what he can give us to build on.”
The Tigers signed Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract as a free agent last December based on what he showed pitching for Cleveland down the stretch last season coming off surgery. He had hip issues early in Spring Training and has been battling to get back to pitching ever since. He underwent a series of injections earlier this month to try to clear out remaining inflammation after his mobility looked limited in a simulated game. Friday’s outing suggests that inflammation might not be completely gone.
Cobb’s contract is guaranteed whether he pitches or not, so the Tigers run no financial risk letting Cobb continue to rehab and pitch. But as this continues, they’ll have to figure out how much better his mobility is going to get, and whether he can field his position without opponents trying to exploit it. A Major League pitcher can stay on a rehab assignment for up to 30 days.
SGL? YES!
Sawyer Gipson-Long threw a bullpen session in Kansas City as scheduled on Saturday morning and said he felt good, clearing the way for him to potentially come off the injured list and make his season debut Tuesday at the White Sox if the Tigers so choose. It would be his first outing for the Tigers since 2023, having missed all of last year due to Tommy John and hip surgeries.
The Tigers, who need to fill Jobe’s rotation spot, haven’t committed to that just yet, but Hinch acknowledged he’s an option.
Gipson-Long threw 5 1/3 innings of one-hit, one-run ball Thursday for Triple-A Toledo with no walks and five strikeouts, his only damage coming on a home run from rehabbing Reds slugger Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Gipson-Long, the Tigers’ No. 29 prospect, has a 2.20 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings across five rehab starts.
Meadows nears return
Parker Meadows, out since Spring Training with upper arm inflammation around his musculocutaneous nerve, played a full game in center field on Friday for Triple-A Toledo, going 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts. He’s scheduled to play another full game Saturday before the Tigers evaluate him for a potential return as early as next week against the White Sox.