Jackson Jobe's injury suddenly makes this forgotten Tigers pitcher's return important

The Tigers' rotation was dealt a brutal blow on Wednesday when they announced Jackson Jobe would be undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending his rookie season. The Tigers' pitching depth has been a quiet strength for them this season, and they do have Sawyer Gipson-Long to either step into a fully-fledged starting role or continue with long relief, but reinforcements are still needed.

The trade deadline isn't too far away now, but the Tigers plausibly have an internal option in offseason signing Alex Cobb, who still hasn't pitched this season with a hip injury. He's made three rehab appearances, two in High-A and one in Triple-A, but hasn't pitched more than 2 1/3 innings. Walks seem to be a bit of an issue — he gave up three in his last appearance — but he's looked decent otherwise.

The Tigers will probably want to get him to at least five innings before they bring him back to the majors, but he also seems incredibly breakable, so pushing him too hard might run the risk of another injury, which would render the Tigers' $15 million deal with him completely wasted, instead of just mostly wasted.

Cobb has shown flashes of brilliance when in the rare moments he's been healthy over the past few seasons, and Jobe's injury means that much more is riding on him when he finally makes his debut.

Tigers need Alex Cobb to pitch after revealing Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John

Cobb only made three starts for the Guardians at the end of last season, but he took a perfect game against the Pirates into the seventh and got a taste of the postseason for the first time since 2013 (including against the Tigers, who scored two runs off of him in three innings in the ALDS).

His signing with the Tigers was always suspect, especially because of his injuries and the fact that he said he was prepared to retire before the Tigers made him an offer. He certainly hasn't proven anybody wrong about it being a wasted contract, having now missed almost three months of the season.

But the rotation situation would've been tricky upon Cobb's return if Reese Olson and Jobe were both healthy. Jobe's injury eliminates the need for any complicated roster maneuvering, and it actually sort of gives Tigers fans a reason to want to see Cobb on the mound, even a little bit.