Veteran pitcher Alex Cobb announced on Saturday that he will not be pitching for the Detroit Tigers this season due to ongoing issues with a hip injury he first sustained in February. The 37-year-old was diagnosed with arthritis in his right hip, and the pain became too severe for him to continue pitching, as he experienced in his rehab appearances throughout the summer.
Cobb revealed that he has decided to undergo season-ending surgery.
This season, Cobb pitched 20.2 innings across High-A and AAA, posting an impressive 1.74 ERA. It seemed like he was getting back to form, but after a painful start in early September, he realized he could no longer pitch effectively.
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Cobb stated that although he isn’t ready to retire yet, he understands that it’s a possibility at this stage in his career.
Cobb has not pitched a full MLB season since 2023 with San Francisco, and in 2024, he made only three starts with Cleveland.
Over his 13-year MLB career, Cobb has compiled a record of 79-76 as a starter, with a 3.84 ERA and 1,108 strikeouts in 1,327 innings.
In the offseason, Cobb signed a one-year, \$15 million contract with Detroit.
Cobb Delivers a Statement After Shutting Season Down
Cobb delivered a long statement after he opted to have season ending surgery, stating “I feel like I owe fans and everybody an explanation.”
“I went into the offseason and felt great,” Cobb wrote. “…I was in zero pain. I signed with the Tigers. I did my physical. I passed. Everything felt good. Three weeks, four weeks later I’m ramping up and getting off the mound and doing full-go in my training, just like any other offseason. I literally woke up one day and couldn’t walk.”
Cobb had every intention of being a part of the Tigers this season, he was just dealt a bad hand with the timing of his arthritis inflammation.
“I can handle the pain. I can handle pain easily. It’s when the pain and the stuff aren’t matching up, and then you’re unable to overcome the pain and have quality outings and what it takes to be at the big league level.”
“I had a clear answer walking off the mound that it wasn’t going to work, and I’ve done everything I could, and that was the best it was going to get, and that wasn’t an acceptable product to put on the field.”
Tigers Could Have Used Cobb This Season
Although the Tigers are having a historic season, their pitching outside of Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal has been inconsistent. Cobb has been a great three or four in rotations his entire career, a role the Tigers would have greatly benefitted from.
Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize are the only other pitchers that have remained healthy for most of the season, and they have ERA’s of 4.85 and 3.87, respectively. Not ideal numbers.
Cobb’s depth and reliability could have done wonders for this rotation, especially in October. Now, the guys Detroit has will have to find a way to get the job done.
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