Tigers confirm fans' worst fears after quiet Jackson Jobe exit vs. Giants

Jackson Jobe was conspicuously MIA from the Tigers' dugout after he was pulled from his Wednesday start against the Giants in the top of the fifth, after giving up a two-run homer to Heliot Ramos. He'd already thrown 95 pitches up to that point, so there wasn't necessarily cause for concern when he was yanked, but his absence both in the dugout and after the game raised some red flags.

Jobe didn't speak to reporters, which is unusual for a starting pitcher, and the Tigers closed the clubhouse to all media within an hour of the game ending. Multiple beat writers also noted that his fastball velocity was down by 1.5-2 MPH throughout his start.

It immediately raised the question of whether Jobe was hurt, and the Tigers confirmed everyone's suspicions on Friday afternoon, ahead of their series opener against the Royals. Jobe is going onto the 15-day IL with a Grade One flexor strain, and prospect Dylan Smith is coming up to take his spot on the roster.

Jobe joins Reese Olson, who went onto the IL on May 18 with right ring finger inflammation and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday, and the move deals another huge blow to the Tigers rotation.

Tigers move Jackson Jobe to the 15-day IL after early exit vs. Giants on Wednesday

Jobe has struggled in May after seeming to find a groove in April, and he has a 5.04 ERA through his starts this month. His best outing so far is still his April 12 start against the Twins, when he pitched six scoreless innings, two-hit innings and only gave up one walk, but he hasn't seemed able to find that same rhythm since.

Keider Montero has been with the major league club in Olson's absence, but with Jobe down and Olson still a ways away from return, it seems likely that the Tigers will have to break out their old pitching chaos strategy earlier in the season than they would've liked. They've already staged a few bullpen games, using Sean Guenther and Brant Hurter as openers, and we'll probably see more of that in the next few weeks.

This increases the pressure on Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Montero to make their starts solid ones (we don't really have to worry about Tarik Skubal), and for the bullpen to step up to the challenge of facing more innings until Olson and Jobe can make their ways back.