Tigers drop slew of injury updates including surprise surgery for top prospect

The Tigers made their first move of the offseason on Monday afternoon, signing righty pitcher Alex Cobb to a one-year deal. Cobb is coming off of multiple injuries that kept his season with the Guardians to just 16 1/3 innings, but he did take a perfect game into the seventh inning on Sept. 1, so that's ... something?

Detroit has been quieter this offseason than anyone expected them to be after their completely improbable postseason run. Instead, they seem to be sticking to old habits and are pursuing short-term deals with veterans while developing the young core.

The Tigers introduced multiple top prospects toward the end of the season who are likely to work their way into the fold full-time in 2025, including No. 5 prospect Jace Jung, who had a great run at the end of the regular season as the Tigers surged into the Wild Card.

However, the team dropped a surprising piece of news regarding Jung on Monday night, revealing that he had undergone a "right wrist arthroscopy" on Oct. 24 and had progressed to hitting. He's expected to be fully recovered by spring training.

Tigers reveal top prospect Jace Jung underwent right wrist surgery in October

Scott Harris went on a media tear Monday, dropping small indications as to the futures of a few players. He definitely made it sound like the Tigers would be sticking by Spencer Torkelson despite some noise to the contrary, and he made it sound like Jung's future at third base isn't quite assured, saying he'll "compete to win a job."

The Tigers are clearly fine with their rotating infield, but Jung could provide a more constant presence at third if he does enough in spring training to warrant a more regular role. However, Detroit has also been linked to utilityman Ha-Seong Kim in his free agency, which could create even more diverse lineups and defensive configurations.

Jung's name has also been brought up a few times as a potential trade piece, and that could make sense if the Tigers do get a veteran like Kim who would warrant more a regular role. Through 34 games this season, Jung hit .241 with a .666 OPS, but he did show marked signs of settling into the majors during his last 15 games, when he hit .273 with a .838 OPS.

Either way, it's good news for the Tigers that Jung is expected to be ready to go by spring training. It'll hopefully keep his trade value intact, but it also gives them another option for that infield carousel if he stays in Detroit.