Cobb signed a one-year deal to work as a starter but has missed the entire season due to left hip issues. The Tigers have reduced expectations for his outings, planning two- to three-inning stints to monitor recovery and bounce-back. Cobb has been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo, working two to three innings in his first two appearances and is expected to pitch again this weekend. Rehab assignments can run up to 30 days, and a relief role could allow a return before that window ends, with September 1 as a possible reinstatement target. Detroit's middle relief remains unsettled, and Cobb, along with recent acquisition Paul Sewald, could provide late-season bullpen help while rotation arms might shift to relief for the postseason.
"We shrunk down the expectations internally on how long he can go in a game," Hinch told McCosky and others. "We're trying to see how the two- and three-inning stints go and how he bounces back from that." It has long since passed the point for the Tigers to get the return they expected on a $15MM free agent investment. At this point, they'd welcome any contributions from the 37-year-old.
"Rehab assignments for pitchers can last up to 30 days. Using Cobb in a relief role could get him back before the end of that window. Speculatively speaking, the Tigers could view September 1 as a target for his reinstatement. That's when active rosters expand from 26 to 28 and teams are permitted to carry a 14th pitcher. That'd at least give Cobb a few weeks to audition for a spot on the playoff roster."
Collection
[
|
...
]