The Detroit Tigers go into Friday’s schedule of games still holding the best record in MLB at 37-20, a half-game better than the Philadelphia Phillies. Yet maintaining that top spot could be tenuous with starting pitching injuries accumulating.
Pitcher Jackson Jobe is going on the injured list with a Grade 1 strain of the flexor tendon in his right elbow, the team announced on Friday. Though he was placed on the 15-day IL, it appears likely that the rookie will be out for a longer period.
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Jobe, 22, will be shut down from throwing while the inflammation in his elbow and forearm subside. He then will have to go through a rehab period before being allowed to restart a throwing program, according to the Detroit News. A two-month recovery for this type of injury is typical.
As a point of comparison, Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert went on the IL with the same injury on April 25 and just began a minor league rehab assignment this week.
Jobe allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in his last start on Wednesday. Leaving the game after 4 2/3 innings, he said he felt soreness and the Tigers moved to get him tested quickly. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said nothing looked out of the ordinary until Jobe said he didn’t feel right.
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However, Jobe’s velocity was down by 1.5 mph, the Detroit Free Press reported. And after his previous start on May 23 versus the Cleveland Guardians, Jobe said he was “not the best I’ve felt physically all year,” which he attributed to pitching his first full major league season.
In 10 starts this season, Jobe compiled a 4.22 ERA and 4-1 record with 39 strikeouts in 49 innings. He was frustrated by the lower strikeout rate, according to MLB.com, compared to the 10.1 Ks per 9 innings he registered in the minors. He was the Tigers’ first-round pick (No. 3 overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City.
Jobe became the third Detroit starting pitcher placed on the IL during May, joining Reese Olson. However, Casey Mize just returned from the IL last week and allowed one earned run in five innings versus the Cleveland Guardians. He’s scheduled to start on Friday against the Kansas City Royals.
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Besides the uncertainty over Jobe’s return, the question for the Tigers is who will take his spot in their starting rotation. Reliever Dylan Smith was called up from Triple-A Toledo to fill Jobe’s roster spot. In 14 appearances, he has a 1.61 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 22 1/3 inings.
Thus, Hinch may opt for using his bullpen when Jobe’s turn comes up or Sawyer Gipson-Long (returning from right elbow and left hip surgeries) will get the call-up
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