The Tigers got the kind of update that can steady a fan base in midseason: Jackson Jobe’s first live batting practice went about as well as anyone could have hoped.
According to Jason Beck of MLB.com, A.J. Hinch said Jobe touched 100 mph in the session against hitters last Saturday. That’s a major marker for a pitcher working back from Tommy John surgery, and it keeps Jobe on track for a return sometime this season, with a lengthy rehab assignment still ahead.
Jobe’s road back has been handled quietly. He had the surgery in Texas last June, just 10 starts into his rookie year, then stayed there for months while working with doctors on the rehab plan.
He was with the Tigers in Lakeland during spring training, throwing at 105 feet in early March. By late April, he had reached his first bullpen session, and in early June he threw a bullpen in front of Tigers coaches.
The results have been encouraging every step of the way, and the latest step may be the biggest yet.
Before the injury, Jobe hadn’t fully settled in. Over those 10 starts, he posted a 4.22 ERA and a 1.490 WHIP.
But his ceiling was never in doubt for long. Not too long ago, he was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in baseball, if you don’t count Roki Sasaki, which the source does not.
That’s what makes the 100 mph report so notable. It’s not just that Jobe is progressing; it’s that his velocity is already back in the triple digits. For a pitcher coming off this kind of surgery, that’s a strong sign that the rehab is moving in the right direction.
The Tigers can’t count on fitting him cleanly into the rotation this season if they’re still in the middle of a deadline push, but the bigger picture is obvious. He’s expected back this year if everything keeps going smoothly, and next season the rotation picture looks a lot different with Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, Troy Melton and Jobe as the baseline. If the Tigers extend Casey Mize, that group gets even stronger.
For now, the important part is simpler: Jackson Jobe is throwing hard again, and every update keeps pointing the same way.
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