Tigers pitcher out with right elbow

Detroit Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe explains pitching development

Detroit Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe joined the “Days of Roar” podcast to talk about his MLB debut in 2024 and his expectations for 2025.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson Jobe has an injury.

The rookie right-handed pitcher suffered a flexor strain in his right elbow, as announced by the Detroit Tigers on Friday, May 30, before their series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The 22-year-old has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, May 29.

He reported elbow soreness after his last start.

It’s a Grade 1 strain.

“Nothing raised a red flag to me until he said he didn’t feel good,” manager A.J. Hinch said Friday.

MORE ABOUT HIM: What Tigers rookie Jackson Jobe did this offseason to become even more unhittable

Jobe was removed in the fifth inning of his start Wednesday, May 28, after using 95 pitches to complete 4⅔ innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. He didn’t talk to reporters after the game and wasn’t seen in the clubhouse.

His average fastball velocity was down 1.5 mph.

“We took him immediately to get evaluated,” Hinch said. “We were leaving, so in order for him to make the flight, we needed to get him evaluated quickly and hopefully get him back for the travel. That’s why you guys didn’t see him after the game. We were getting him evaluated.”

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The good news: Jobe is expected to return to the Tigers in the 2025 season, possibly sooner rather than later. The bad news: He will be shut down from throwing for a period of time before initiating a throwing program.

“We’ll see how the next few weeks go,” Hinch said.

Jobe, whom the Tigers selected No. 3 overall in the 2021 draft, owns a 4.22 ERA with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts across 49 innings in 10 starts during the 2025 season. He said he wasn’t “feeling like I was at my best physically” after his second-to-last start, which occurred May 23 against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park.

His 1.49 WHIP ranks 109th among 128 pitches with at least 40 innings.

The Tigers (37-20) entered Friday with MLB’s best record behind a starting rotation of Jobe, Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Casey Mize, with Keider Montero as the next-man-up for doubleheaders and injuries. The Tigers’ rotation ranks fourth in MLB with a 3.22 ERA, trailing only the Texas Rangers (2.87), New York Mets (2.91) and Royals (3.02).

Jobe made his MLB debut in September 2024. He dealt with two injuries in the minor leagues: lumbar spine inflammation in 2023 and a left hamstring strain in 2024.

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The latest injury is a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right elbow — the same injury that Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert sustained in late April. One month later, Gilbert threw 45 pitches in his first rehab start in late May. He could return to the Mariners in two weeks, possibly in mid-June.

That would be a total absence of seven weeks.

If Jobe follows Gilbert’s timeline, he projects to return to the Tigers in mid-July, possibly coming out of the All-Star break. The first game after the Midsummer Classic is July 18 against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

“I try not to rush at any judgment until we see how his rest goes and see how his rehab goes,” Hinch said. “We’ll listen to the doctors and the pitching coaches on that. Obviously, it’s tough to lose a guy out of the rotation.”

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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