KANSAS CITY -- Just when the Tigers seemed to be inching close to full strength for the first time all year, the injury bug is multiplying on them yet again. The latest victim is rookie starter Jackson Jobe, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 strain of the flexor tendon in his right elbow prior to the Tigers' 7-5 win on Friday at Kauffman Stadium.
It comes just a few days after the Tigers placed outfielder Matt Vierling on the 10-day IL with a recurrence of his right shoulder inflammation. The Tigers had a replacement ready for Vierling with Wenceel Pérez returning from the IL. How they replace Jobe could bring them to an intriguing option nearing his return from injury -- no, not Reese Olson or Alex Cobb.
Jobe had been enjoying a solid rookie campaign after winning a rotation spot out of Spring Training. He’s 4-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 10 starts, allowing 46 hits over 49 innings along with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts.
The relatively low strikeout rate has been a point of frustration for him, but he has largely avoided the disastrous starts that so many young pitchers encounter. His only outing with more than three runs allowed was a six-run outburst over 3 2/3 innings on May 7 at Colorado, one of just two outings for him this year with multiple home runs allowed.
Jobe’s ability to limit damage has been a key reason the Tigers have been largely successful behind him. They won his first eight starts, the longest such streak to begin a Major League career since 2001.
Yet there were warning signs lately that something might be amiss. When the Tigers’ winning streak behind Jobe ended May 23 with a 3-1 loss to the Guardians, the 22-year-old hinted that he wasn’t feeling his best.
“Not the best I’ve felt physically all year, that’s for sure,” said Jobe, who chalked it up to the normal wear and tear of a long season.
Jobe allowed three runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Giants. Had he recorded one more out, he would’ve been in line for the win when the Tigers rallied in the bottom of the fifth. His velocity was down across his arsenal, including an average 95.1 mph fastball that was 1.4 mph under his season average, and a 93.4 mph sinker that was 1.8 mph below his season rate. His velocity dropped as his outing moved along, particularly on his final two fastballs.
“When he came out of his outing, he reported that he had a little bit of soreness,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We took him immediately to get evaluated.”
The Tigers did not release a timetable for Jobe’s potential return. As a recent comparison, however, Mariners All-Star starter Logan Gilbert was diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain after leaving his start April 25. He began a Minor League rehab assignment on Thursday, throwing 45 pitches over 1 2/3 innings. He’s expected to throw at least one more rehab outing, possibly a second to extend his pitch count.
A similar timetable with Jobe would put him in position to return around the All-Star break in mid-July.
“I try not to rush to any judgment until we see how his rest goes, how his rehab goes,” Hinch said. “And we’ll listen to the doctors and the pitching coaches on that. Obviously, it’s tough to lose a guy out of the rotation. There have been guys around the league that have gone through this and have come back very effectively.
“But I feel for him. This is not something that you want any of your guys going through. But I’m not an expert in elbows. We’ll see how the next few weeks go.”
With Keider Montero already in the rotation to fill in for Olson, who went on the injured list last week with right middle finger inflammation and is still a ways off from a return, No. 29 prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long is well-positioned as the likely candidate to step in. Gipson-Long, currently on the 60-day IL, had an impressive September run in the rotation in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John and hip surgeries. He threw 5 1/3 strong innings in his latest rehab start Thursday night for Triple-A Toledo against Louisville, allowing only a Christian Encarnacion-Strand solo homer while striking out five. But he has yet to stretch out to 60 pitches.
The Tigers are bringing Gipson-Long to Kansas City to throw a bullpen session on Saturday before making a decision on his status. The Tigers will need a fifth starter next Tuesday at the White Sox unless they go with a bullpen game, like they did for a turn last week before Casey Mize returned from the injured list. Gipson-Long could pitch Tuesday on regular rest.
For now, the Tigers are going with an extra reliever, calling up hard-throwing right-hander Dylan Smith from Triple-A Toledo for his Major League debut. The former third-round pick from the same 2021 Draft as Jobe, Smith struggled with injuries as a starter before converting to the bullpen this year.
With shorter outings, his career and his fastball have taken off, including 32 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings between Double-A Erie and Toledo. He made just two appearances for the Mud Hens, but they were impressive, compiling 2 1/3 hitless innings with a walk and five strikeouts.
“We’ve known about Dylan Smith since he was drafted, and we’ve been excited about him,” Hinch said. “He was a man without a role for a little bit, and then the move to the bullpen has really solidified his aggressiveness in the zone. His first-pitch strikes have been great, the velocity has ticked up, his sweeper is really good, he’s got a split.
"There’s a starter pitchability-type guy in there, but the aggressiveness out of the 'pen has really opened our eyes given how many bats he's missing.”