Tigers reveal what would be useless plan for Alex Cobb if he ever returns from injury

The season isn't over yet, but it already feels fair to call the Detroit Tigers' signing of Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal one of the biggest free agency busts of the offseason.

Nearly five months into the season, the 37-year-old right-hander still has yet to pitch in a game for Detroit, as he has been sidelined with injuries to both hips since spring training. He's currently making his second attempt at a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo, but it remains to be seen if or when he will be able to join the Tigers' active roster before the end of the season.

Cobb had made three previous rehab starts from late May to mid-June but had to be pulled off the assignment due to renewed soreness in both hips. If he can avoid the same fate in his second attempt and make a return to the Tigers, he will be used strictly in a bullpen role.

Tigers reveal what seems to be useless plan for Alex Cobb if he ever returns from injury

The Tigers had initially signed Cobb to bolster their starting rotation, but manager AJ Hinch told reporters, including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, that the club had "shrunk down the expectations internally" on how deep he could pitch into games and truncated his outings to two or three innings in order to see how he recovers.

Cobb tossed three hitless innings out of the bullpen with a walk and four strikeouts in his latest rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday. He entered the game in relief of starter Sawyer Gipson-Long, threw 36 pitches (26 strikes) and struck out the side in the seventh. His fastball averaged 90-91 mph.

“Whether he opens or comes in like he did last night behind Sawyer and pitch multiple innings, we told him we need to see that as part of his rehab,” Hinch said (via McCosky). “We also want to keep him stretched out to 30, 40, 50 pitches and we need to be sure he can get up and into the game."

Even if that does help the Tigers eat innings, there's no way they can rely upon him for postseason contributions given how he's yet to appear in a game this year. At this rate, he'd be close to the last guy in the bullpen tasked with piggybacking a starter who got chased from the game or erasing innings in a blowout on either end.

While Cobb's perseverance and determination to contribute to the Tigers' success is admirable, time is running out for him to be making any meaningful contributions to this team down the stretch. Hopefully, for his sake – and for the Tigers' – he doesn't end this career on the injured list.

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