DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers have placed rookie right-handed starter Jackson Jobe on the injured list.
Jobe has a Grade 1 right flexor strain, according to the team. That’s the mildest type of strain.
Rookie right-hander Dylan Smith was selected from Triple-A Toledo to take Jobe’s spot on the active roster.
To make room for Smith’s arrival, veteran right-hander Alex Cobb was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Jobe was absent from the Tigers’ clubhouse on Wednesday after a start in which his velocity was down across the board. That led to speculation about his health, especially since he had mentioned after his start on May 23 that he was “not feeling like I was at my best physically.”
Asked to elaborate, Jobe said, “Over the course of the season you’re going to have times you feel great, times you don’t feel good, and times you’re somewhere in between. Today was definitely not the best I’ve felt, but it’s just part of the process.”
Jobe’s next scheduled start isn’t until June 3, so the Tigers have some time to decide on their rotation plans. In the meantime, Smith will give them an extra arm in the bullpen.
Jobe, 22, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft. He spent nearly all of the 2024 season at Double-A Erie, where he posted a 1.95 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 38 walks in 73 2/3 innings.
He received a somewhat unexpected late-season promotion to Triple-A Toledo on Sept. 7, followed by a stunning promotion to the big leagues 16 days later. He pitched two games in the regular season and two in the playoffs, working out of the bullpen.
Jobe won a rotation spot this spring, partly because of his performance but also due to his pedigree. He was the consensus No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, and new baseball rules incentivize teams to promote their elite prospects sooner rather than later.
Jobe has shown only flashes of the dominance that the Tigers hope will be in his future, but he’s been consistently competitive through 10 starts this season. He posted a 4.22 ERA (5.15 FIP) with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts in 49 innings.
Although he was the team’s least effective regular starter, the Tigers are 9-1 in games he starts.
Smith, who turned 25 on Wednesday, was a third-round pick out of the University of Alabama in 2021. He was considered such a valued prospect early in his career that he received an invitation to big-league camp in 2022. But his minor-league journey has been bumpy, and he’s battled injuries along the way.
The Tigers moved him to the bullpen this year, and the transition has gone well. Smith posted a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings with Double-A Erie, striking out 27 and walking seven. In two appearances with Triple-A Toledo, he has struck out five over 2 1/3 innings.
Smith, who made his Triple-A debut just a few days ago, would be making his MLB debut if he gets into a game.
Cobb’s transfer to the 60-day IL is purely procedural, as he has already missed more than 60 days.
Cobb, who signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Tigers in December and was expected to be in the Opening Day rotation, has been out since February with hip inflammation.
He began what should be a lengthy rehab assignment on Friday with High-A West Michigan.
TIGERS’ 40-MAN ROSTER (40)
Left-handed pitchers (5): Sean Guenther, Tyler Holton, Bailey Horn**, Brant Hurter, Tarik Skubal.
Right-handed pitchers (17): John Brebbia, Beau Brieske, Ryan Cusick, Jack Flaherty, Jason Foley**, Brenan Hanifee, Jackson Jobe*, Tommy Kahnle, Chase Lee, Matt Manning, Tyler Mattison**, Casey Mize, Keider Montero, Reese Olson*, Dylan Smith, Tyler Owens, Will Vest.
Catchers (2): Dillon Dingler, Jake Rogers.
Infielders (9): Javier Báez, Jace Jung, Andy Ibáñez, Colt Keith, Ryan Kreidler, Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres.
Outfielders (7): Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Brewer Hicklen, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Wenceel Pérez, Matt Vierling*.
*On 10-day or 15-day injured list
**On minor-league injured list
Right-handed pitchers Alex Lange (right lat strain and surgery), Sawyer Gipson-Long (Tommy John surgery and hip), José Urquidy (Tommy John surgery), Ty Madden (rotator cuff strain) and Alex Cobb (right hip inflammation); and outfielder Parker Meadows (right upper arm inflammation) are on the 60-day injured list and do not count against the 40-man roster.