More starting pitching reinforcements are imminent for the Detroit Tigers.
Right-hander Jackson Jobe will begin a rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday, July 7, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said ahead of the series opener against the Athletics. Jobe has been out since June 2025 when he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
“We will have to try to corral him to only a couple of innings,” Hinch said.
Jobe has thrown a few live bullpen sessions in the past weeks as he continues his recovery. Hinch previously said the 23-year-old and No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft has touched 100 mph with his four-seam fastball during his bullpen sessions.
“He’s ready to go and, obviously, he’s been throwing the ball well,” Hinch said.
Jobe threw 49 innings across 10 starts with a 4.22 ERA in his injury-shortened rookie campaign in 2025.
He had an expected recovery timeline of over a year and remains on that schedule. In late June, Hinch said Jobe had a lengthy rehab stint ahead of him to regain footing on the mound.
“He’s got a long road ahead still, but the plan all along and timeline all along was for him to be able to accomplish a lot this year,” Hinch said on June 26.
RHP Will Vest remains in Dallas with Doc
Hinch also said right-handed reliever Will Vest did not return with the team to Detroit. Instead, Vest remained in Dallas after the series win over the Rangers for extended evaluations with Dr. Keith Meister, the Rangers’ team physician and a longtime doctor specializing in baseball-related injuries.
The Tigers placed Vest on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation on July 1 and called up Beau Brieske as his replacement in the bullpen.
“We happen to have left him in Dallas because we were just there and that’s where he lives, so it’s convenient for him,” Hinch said. “Again, it is not Tommy John-related or ligament-related. But it is a doctor we trust.”
In other injury news, reliever Brant Hurter threw a bullpen, reliever Burch Smith threw off the mound, shortstop Javier Baez is ramping up baseball activity, second baseman Gleyber Torres has progressed to hitting off a tee, and Wenceel Perez has reported to Comerica Park.
Torres, who is out with an oblique injury, is making “great” progress, Hinch said. Perez, who is on the 60-day IL after he fractured his orbital bone, is in the early stages of his recovery process.
“He’s gently going to start doing a little more running and a little bit more baseball stuff, but we are being very cautious with him,” Hinch said of Perez.
Contact Jared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers RHP Jackson Jobe progresses in rehab. How fast is he throwing?
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
