The Detroit Tigers in the offseason signed 37-year-old veteran pitcher Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract. While the Tigers have a crowded starting rotation after the trade deadline, they could still use some improvements in the rotation.
Cobb could be a nice addition to the rotation, but he’s been out all season with left hip inflammation. He has yet to make his 2025 season debut with the Tigers since signing the $15 million deal in the offseason.
But, amid the latest Tigers medical update, which Evan Woodberry of MLive Media Group shared on Twitter/X, the Tigers finally got some good news on Cobb’s injury recovery.
Cobb to Toledo: pic.twitter.com/qhdhEEwVEU
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) August 12, 2025
Cobb is heading to Toledo to join the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, where he will pitch in a rehab outing on Thursday, August 24th, in what’s shaping up to be a big rehab stint for the veteran Tigers starter.
If Cobb has a solid outing, then he could make his way to the Majors in short order. Though there is still likely to be a few more tests for Cobb as his workload increases in the minor leagues, a good rehab outing on Thursday would be big for Detroit and Cobb.
In 2024, with the Cleveland Guardians, he started five games between the regular season and the postseason. With the Tigers in 2025, Cobb is likely to repeat such a scenario, getting a couple of starts to close out the regular season and potentially starting in the postseason.
MORE: Tigers top prospects could be impacted by $130 million Roman Anthony Red Sox contract
In his three regular-season starts, he had a 2.76 ERA and a 2-1 record. But in the postseason, he had a 7.94 ERA across 5.2 innings pitched, which included allowing two runs to the Tigers in three innings. Both postseason outings resulted in a loss.
The 13-year veteran right-handed starter was paid $15 million in the offseason, and the Tigers need to get some return on their investment to make the deal worth it. Cobb is still working his way back, but at the moment, the $15 million contract looks to be a waste.
Combined with the struggles of Jack Flaherty and, recently, with Casey Mize, the Tigers’ starting rotation has a lot of question marks heading into the final month of 2025.
However, even if Cobb is ready to go, with a crowded starting rotation, there might not be a clear spot for him once he is ready to go. While this report is good news for Cobb, his future with the team is still uncertain.
Detroit will likely try to incorporate him into the rotation, potentially moving Chris Paddack to the bullpen to accommodate Cobb. With the $15 million investment, the Tigers aren’t going to let Cobb go to waste if he can pitch this season.
MORE MLB NEWS:
