Detroit Tigers rookie Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery, out for 2025 season
- Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery.
- Jobe will miss the rest of the 2025 season, with a recovery timeline of 12-18 months.
- The surgery comes after Jobe experienced a flexor strain earlier in the season.
BALTIMORE — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The 22-year-old will miss the remainder of the 2025 season.
The date of the surgery hasn't been finalized, but elbow expert Dr. Keith Meister — the Texas Rangers' team physician — will perform the procedure in Arlington, Texas.
The typical recovery timeline from Tommy John surgery is 12-18 months, which puts Jobe on track to return to full health in the June-December 2026 range. There's a chance he won't pitch for the Tigers until the 2027 season.
"It's really disappointing news," Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg said Wednesday, June 11. "I really feel for Jackson. Everybody sees the talent. He's a very determined individual. I have no question, he's going to work through this process and be a really important contributor for this team for a very long time."
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As a rookie, Jobe posted a 4.22 ERA with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts across 49 innings in 10 starts in the 2025 season. He landed on the injured list after his May 28 start with a flexor strain in his right elbow, but it was only a Grade 1 strain.
Further medical evaluation determined Jobe needed Tommy John surgery.
He received multiple opinions.
"I hate it for him," said Tigers right-hander Casey Mize, who underwent Tommy John surgery on June 15, 2022, and didn't return to MLB games until 2024. "Having gone through it, it's a long process, but it's one I know he'll attack. I'm feeling for him, but I know, in the end, everything is going to be all right for him."
His average fastball velocity was down 1.5 mph in his May 28 start against the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park, in which he threw 95 pitches. After that start, Jobe reported elbow soreness to the Tigers.
His fastball velocity ranks in the 81st percentile among MLB pitchers in 2025, averaging 96.1 mph — and maxing out at 99.1 mph. He has been clocked throwing as hard as 101.8 mph, which occurred as a reliever in 2024 spring training.
On May 30, the Tigers placed Jobe on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 29, with an elbow injury. Looking ahead, he can be transferred to the 60-day injured list whenever the Tigers need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
"We're confident," Greenberg said, when asked about Jobe's upcoming rehab process. "It's never news you want to receive, and it's really disappointing for him. But he's in great hands. We've seen this before. We know what the process will look like."
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The Tigers selected Jobe with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The former top prospect has suffered an injury in each of his past three seasons in the Tigers' organization: a lumbar spine inflammation in 2023, a left hamstring strain in 2024 and a right elbow flexor strain in 2025.
Jobe made his MLB debut in September 2024.
Before that, he posted a 2.97 ERA in his 58-start career in the minor leagues, with just two starts in Triple-A Toledo before the Tigers promoted him.
"I hate it for our team as well," Mize said. "Jackson is a special talent. It's a long road, but I know he's going to work really hard and come out of it better and be able to help us when he gets back."
Elbow surgery is common among MLB pitchers.
For example, five current starters with the Tigers — not including Jobe — have received Tommy John surgery: Mize in 2022, Alex Cobb in 2015, Tarik Skubal in 2016, José Urquidy in 2017 and 2024 and Sawyer Gipson-Long in 2024. That's not including former Tigers starters such as Michael Fulmer in 2019, Alex Faedo in 2020, Joey Wentz in 2020, Spencer Turnbull in 2021 and Matthew Boyd in 2023. Two current Tigers position players also underwent Tommy John surgery: catcher Jake Rogers in 2021 and outfielder Riley Greene in 2023.
In this case, Jobe is the latest in a long line of victims.
"I leaned on a lot of people when I went through it," Mize said. "It's confusing and frustrating and difficult at times. If I can be a resource to him, I'm going to be there for him, as I know plenty of other guys in this clubhouse will be to help make the process for him a little bit easier."
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This story was updated to add a gallery.