Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Jobe will be reimbursed for elbow ligament replacement surgery for the season

Jackson Jobe's rookie season ended early, and the Detroit Tigers right-hand pitcher could miss most of the 2026 schedule. The team announced that Jobe, who was on the 15th injury list 12 days ago due to a flexor strain, will undergo ligament replacement surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament of the right elbow.

The decision is based on the results of a follow-up visit with a medical specialist. Job was initially diagnosed with a first-degree flexor strain, but sought a second diagnosis due to the special nature of the injury. Tiger stated that he will miss the rest of the 2025 season, and did not provide a follow-up schedule. The typical recovery period for ligament replacement surgery is 12-18 months (depending on the nature of the surgery).

This is the first major arm injury in Job's career, and he was sidelined in the first half of 2023 due to lumbar spine inflammation. After his comeback this season, he rose strongly and finally landed in the major leagues as a top rookie last September.

After two back-up games at the end of the regular season last year and two playoff games, Job successfully competed for a rotating seat in spring training, with 4 wins and 1 loss in the first 10 games before injury, and a 4.22 self-blame score. 49 innings were knocked 46 An, 27 escorted 39 strikeouts.

The low strikeout rate frustrated it, but overall avoided the usual crashes of young pitchers. Only on May 7, Colorado boarded 3.2 rounds and lost six points (the only two in this season to suffer multiple bombardments in a single game).

The injury warning began on May 23 with a 3-1 defeat to the Guardians. After the game, the 22-year-old pitcher hinted that "it was not the best physical condition of the season", attributed to the regular season attrition. On May 28, they conceded 3-pointers in 4.2 innings against the Giants, and their ball speed dropped across the board: 95.1 mph (1.4 below the season average) and 93.4 (1.8 below) for the Stretcher, especially in the final stages.

"After the game, he reported soreness and immediately scheduled a check-up," said head coach A.J. Kimchi. Hinch said at the time. When the flexor strain was first diagnosed, the star was expected to return after the game, and now he needs to deal with a long-term absence. The Tiger Starters are familiar with the operation: Sawyer Gipson-Long last year, Casey Mize in 2022 and Tarik Skubal in 2017.

Job's long-term injury has put the rotation in focus. Gibson-Lang returned to the second game on Tuesday and lost a point in 4.2 innings, while Reese Olson returned to the bullpen on Wednesday with a recovering from right ring finger inflammation. Alex Cobb will play 30 days of rehab in Toledo on Wednesday (right hip inflammation) and will complete 30 days of rehab until the end of June.