Tigers Pitcher Alex Cobb Will Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery
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The Detroit Tigers are searching for answers in their starting rotation.
After signing Jack Flaherty this past offseason, he has shown flashes of being the No. 2 guy but he also has been inconsistent. Casey Mize falls in that boat along with deadline addition Charlie Morton. Emerging youngsters Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe are already done for the year after undergoing season-ending surgeries, and no one else has been able to step up in their absence.
At this point in time, it's hard to feel comfortable with a pair of starters behind Tarik Skubal in a playoff series, which could force A.J. Hinch to use the "pitching chaos" strategy that he deployed last year, which is something they wanted to avoid.
Someone the Tigers were hoping could be a late-season boost to their pitching staff was Alex Cobb, the veteran right-hander they signed this past winter knowing he had some injury concerns with his throwing shoulder and hips.
Cobb suffered a right hip injury before the 2025 campaign began, which forced Detroit to put him on the injured list. And now, the 37-year-old's season is over before he threw a pitch for his new team.
Alex Cobb said today he’s going to have a right hip resurfacing surgery. That means his year is done.
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) September 6, 2025
Cobb said he’s not using the word “retirement” but acknowledges that’s a distinct possibility
Cobb said that he will undergo a right hip resurfacing surgery, which will officially end his season. He had been working his way back by going on a rehab assignment before being pulled off of it at the end of August to reset his clock. However, he was sent back out on Sept. 2, signaling that he might make his return at some point this campaign. Unfortunately, his hip never healed to the point where he could pitch.
The Tigers handed Cobb a $15 million contract, which is now a terrible decision in hindsight. While he pitched well when he was activated off the injured list last year by the Cleveland Guardians -- posting a 2.76 ERA in three regular season starts -- this was seen as a risky signing at the time.
Alex Cobb Could Consider Retirement
As was shared by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic in his report, Cobb didn't use the word "retirement" when he discussed the procedure and recovery he is about to undergo, but the right-hander did acknowledge that it could happen.
Cobb was a fourth-round draft pick back in 2006. He made his major league debut in 2011 with the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays and has enjoyed a 13-year MLB career. He was selected to one All-Star team with the San Francisco Giants in 2023.
If this is indeed it for Cobb, he will finish with a 3.84 ERA across 233 starts where he was six points above the league average in ERA+. He struck out 1,108 batters in 1,327 1/3 innings pitched.
