Jackson

Jobe

Jobe entered last spring as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball before struggling to a lackluster 4.22 ERA and 39/27 K/BB ratio across 49 innings over 10 starts before hitting the injured list with a flexor strain in late May and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery a few weeks later. The hard-throwing 23-year-old won’t be a real option for Detroit until at least 2027 given his recovery timetable, which limits his fantasy appeal to dynasty formats where he’s a borderline top-200 overall range stash candidate.

Dr. Keith Meister performed the reconstructive surgery earlier this week. Jobe is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026 campaign given the timing of the procedure, which typically carries a 12-14 month recovery timeline.

Jobe is going to miss all of 2025 and a large portion of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The move opens up a space on the 40-man roster to select Matt Gage from Triple-A Toledo.

It’s a crushing development for Jobe, who entered the season as one of the consensus top pitching prospects in baseball. The hard-throwing 22-year-old struggled to consistently miss bats in his first extended opportunity in the majors, posting a serviceable 4.22 ERA and 39/27 K/BB ratio across 49 innings (10 starts) before hitting the injured list in late May with a flexor strain. He’s likely to miss a significant portion of the 2026 campaign given the timing of the surgical procedure.

Jobe has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain and is facing a multi-week absence after experiencing a sharp drop in his velocity during Wednesday’s start against the Giants. No word yet on how long the Tigers expect him to be shelved for, but they’re obviously going to take every possible precaution before bringing him back. It’s possible he’s on the shelf until the early stages of the second half given the nature of the injury. There should be some clarity on his return timeline at some point in the coming weeks, depending mostly on when he’s able to resume throwing.

There have been rumblings that his arrival could coincide with Jackson Jobe landing on the injured list with arm soreness, though that has yet to be confirmed. Smith, 25, has been extremely impressive in 16 appearances between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season, compiling a 1.61 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a 32/8 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings. He’ll add another weapon to an already deep and talented Tigers’ bullpen.

The velocity drop alone might not be reason for panic, but Jobe didn’t talk to reporters after the game and wasn’t seen in the clubhouse. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers even closed the clubhouse early in violation of MLB regulations. If something is wrong with Jobe, the Tigers could move Brant Hurter into the rotation or maybe give Dietrich Enns a try.

The 22-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out three on the evening. All of the damage done against him came in the opening inning as Jose Ramirez smacked an RBI triple and scored on an infield single off the bat of Carlos Santana. Jobe settled in nicely afterwards though and finished his day with four scoreless frames to keep his team in it. He got 11 whiffs on 89 pitches on the night — seven of those on his changeup — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. It’s the first time in 10 career starts that the Tigers have lost a game in which Jobe started. He’ll attempt to get back in the win column as he totes a 4.06 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 35/24 K/BB ratio (44 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Giants.

Jobe gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five. The 22-year-old right-hander’s exceptional stuff was on display again Sunday as he struck out Bo Bichette with a 97 mph sinker that had 19 inches of arm-side run. Jobe has now won back-to-back starts and completed six innings for the second time in eight starts Sunday. He’s lined up to face the Guardians at home next weekend.

Detroit’s offense supplied Jobe with a more than a touchdown and an extra point’s worth of run support by the conclusion of the third inning, which enabled him to cruise into the middle innings. He took a shutout into the sixth before Wilyer Abreu connected for a solo homer and was lifted with two outs in the frame at exactly 100 pitches (61 strikes) after issuing his fifth walk of the contest. The 22-year-old top prospect turned in one of the more bizarre pitching lines of the year in an effectively wild outing where he struggled to throw strikes, but was able to generate 15 swinging strikes. He’ll bring a respectable 4.32 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 27/20 K/BB ratio across 33 1/3 innings into a road tilt on Sunday against the Blue Jays.