A.J. Hinch Gives Hint About Who Could Replace Jackson Jobe in Tigers Rotation

Touted Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Jackson Jobe was placed on injured list with a flexor strain.

The 22-year-old has a 4.22 ERA and 1.49 WHIP on the season.

Alex Cobb was moved to the 60-day IL the same day, and the Tigers are still waiting for the recovery of Reese Olson.

With injuries piling up, Detroit needs some reinforcements to ensure they don't have to overuse its bullpen.

However, who Jobe's replacement might be could be on the doorstep of being taken off the IL.

Sawyer Gipson-Long is the No. 29-ranked prospect in the Tigers' farm system. The 27-year-old made four starts for Detroit in 2023, posting a 2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He had surgery in April of 2024, getting an internal brace procedure on his elbow, shutting him down for the season.

Gipson-Long had a rehab start last Thursday for Triple-A Toledo, throwing 5.1 innings.

It's very possible that he could be ready to go against the Chicago White Sox, and manager A.J. Hinch believes his first start in almost two years could be on the horizon as they look to fill the absence of Jobe.

"The closest to the big leagues is Sawyer, just given where he's at in his buildup and what he's done to date," Hinch said to the Detroit Free Press. "He's really the only candidate of the guys you mentioned that would be under consideration."

Gipson-Long has a four-pitch arsenal with a slider, change-up, four-seamer and sinker.

All four of his 2023 starts went for exactly five innings and saw two or fewer earned runs allowed.

The addition of him to the rotation would come at a nice time, and with the Tigers in a comfortable position with their 39-21 record, taking a risk on his small sample size wouldn't do much harm.