Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe continues to look good in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, allowing a run on two hits over four innings with four strikeouts in his second rehab start for Double-A Erie on Saturday.
It was Jobe’s fourth rehab start overall, and his longest to date.
How did he perform?
Jobe had a long first inning against the Orioles-affiliated Chesapeake BaySox, including allowing back-to-back two-out doubles – one to left-center, the other down the left-field line. After a two-out walk, Jobe settled in and located the same power arsenal he has been showing throughout his rehab. His fastball sat in the mid to upper 90s, including a 98 mile-per-hour heater that froze Orioles No. 18 prospect Thomas Sosa for a called third strike. He spun a breaking ball into the zone to fan O’s No. 5 prospect Aron Estrada in the third inning.
Jobe threw 54 pitches, 32 strikes. He didn’t reach triple digits on the radar gun this time after throwing 101 mph in his last rehab outing, but he topped out at 99.
What’s next?
Jobe is in the midst of a lengthy rehab assignment designed to simulate the buildup a pitcher would get in Spring Training. That will eventually include a bump up to Triple-A Toledo. Before Saturday’s outing, manager A.J. Hinch said he’s essentially where he would be in early March under a normal Spring Training schedule.
His return to Detroit could be a big boost for a Tigers team that has been climbing back into the AL Central and Wild Card races over the past few weeks, but the Tigers have not said how they’ll use Jobe down the stretch.
“We’re going to have to consider a lot of different things,” Hinch said. “But until he gets to five and six innings, in general, that’s where I would draw the line – and then on top of that, be conservative coming off Tommy John. We’re going to be very cognizant of how much rest he needs and how we’re slowly building up his body.”