MLB stipulation allows Tigers to add Jackson Jobe to playoff roster if they wish

On Monday, the Tigers dropped a pretty wonderful bombshell on fans: they were calling up MLB's top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe for his major league debut during the final stretch of what has been an unthinkable playoff push.

Jobe will be joining the bullpen to start, with Shelby Miller designated for assignment to make space for him. With Detroit's dependency on their bullpen and the dominance of their relievers since the trade deadline, this is the big time for Jobe.

Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Tyler Holton, Jason Foley, and Co. have found some kind of magic in their ever-rotating roles (and AJ Hinch deserves a lot of credit for knowing how and when to play them), and hopefully it'll rub off on the latest Tigers rookie to make his debut this year. Although Jobe struggled a bit in his first two Triple-A starts after being promoted on Sept. 8, there's quite literally no better pitching prospect in baseball to entrust with a high-leverage major league inning fresh out of the minors.

Jobe will need to figure out how he factors into the bullpen chemistry, but if he can perform and the Tigers hold onto their postseason spot through their last six games, they'll have some thinking to do about his presence in October.

Although rosters technically closed to disallow new postseason additions on Sept. 1, there is a way the Tigers can add Jobe thanks to a well-known stipulation.

Tigers can add Jackson Jobe to the postseason roster thanks to MLB loophole

Sawyer Gipson-Long has been out all season and has undergone two surgeries this year, Tommy John and a hip procedure. He's still on the 40-man roster, but given MLB's rule that replacements can be made if players are injured and anyone in the organization can fill that spot, the Tigers could petition MLB to allow Jobe to take his place.

Consider last season, when Diamondbacks top prospect Jordan Lawlar was called up on Sept. 7 and still appeared in three postseason games for Arizona; he was replacing Dominic Fletcher, who had been transferred to the 60-day IL just a few days before with a fractured finger.

Jobe is the ninth Tigers prospect to get the major league call this season, following in the footsteps of Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney, and so on ahead of him this year, and they've already laid a great foundation of trust. Of course, this may not matter if Jobe doesn't end up appearing ready for the majors, but all signs point to him rising to the challenge.