Hip problems have always existed Alex Cobb On the list of injuries throughout the season, the veteran Righty officially announced his failed year-end, telling reporters (including Detroit Free Press “Evan Petzold” and track and field Cody Stavenhagen) that he will have a re-performing surgery on his right hip. This is Cobb’s third hip-related surgery since the 2019 season began.
Cobb detailed his 2025 injury campaign with the media, as well as all stops he faced during multiple rehabilitation missions. In October, Cobb turned 38 and admitted that he was considering retirement after at least his injury. We should learn more about Cobb’s decision in the coming weeks, as he might want to see how his body reacts after the surgery, not to mention a natural discussion with his family about whether to leave the sport.
If this is indeed Cobb, his 2025 campaign is the unfortunate end of the impressive 13 season. His tenure with the Tigers will end, without even any court, which has left Detroit cleans up all of Cobb’s 15mm free agent investments. People hope Cobb can get back to his original state as a relief pitcher before the season ends, but he was removed from office in late August.
Cobb’s previous hip surgery in the 2023-24 offseason (when he was a member of the Giants) ended up staying longer than expected as Cobb subsequently developed elbow soreness during his recovery. From the San Francisco trade to the deadline, Cobb threw 22 innings for the Guardians, three innings in the regular season and another 22 innings in the playoffs.
Despite the lack of workload, the Tigers are confident in Cobb’s medical and history and gave him a one-year, $15mm deal last winter. While Detroit is heading towards AL Central Crown, it’s not necessarily a missed Cobb, it’s easy to guess after the 50-50-after Tigers could otherwise use $15mm to upgrade the roster, especially since the club didn’t spend a lot of money in the last offseason.
The injury has been an unpopular sub-episode of Cobb’s career, with recurring hip problems and 2015’s Tommy John surgery being the main health setback. Despite all this, Cobb is usually an effective starter when he is able to pitch, posting a 3.84 ERA in 1327 2/3 innings with five different major league clubs. His most effective season in FWAR (3.7) was in the 2022 34-year-old season, where he won the first All-Star nod in 2023.
