SF Giants veteran pitcher 'not close' to returning to the team

The SF Giants have had plenty of injury struggles as of late. One player has been injured for the whole season, though. That is their veteran pitcher Alex Cobb who is reportedly "not close" to returning for the team.

SF Giants veteran pitcher 'not close' to returning to the team

The Giants lost Alex Cobb late last season due to a hip injury. He battled through it for much of 2023 but underwent surgery in late October and was supposed to be out for 6 months. That would have had him back in June on that timetable, but that seems unlikely now.

This reporting comes from Alex Pavlovic who said that manager Bob Melvin said Cobb has not been feeling right with his shoulder and has paused his throwing program. This is unfortunate because in March and April there were reports that Cobb was ahead of schedule and could return in May. Perhaps he tried to rush back up too quickly and injured his shoulder in the process.

Unfortunately, injuries have dogged Cobb throughout his career. When he has been on the mound for the Giants the last two seasons he has been great, posting a 3.73 ERA in 28 starts in 2022 and a 3.87 ERA in 28 starts last season.

He will not make that many starts for the team this season and it is unclear when we will see him again on the mound. The Giants have young starters who have filled in nicely in his absence so the Giants will probably not rush him back.

The Giants may even decide to trade Cobb since he will be a free agent after this season and they may want to try to get something out of him rather than let him walk for free. It is worth remembering that the Giants already have veteran Robbie Ray who is supposed to be back sometime in the second half, so trading Cobb could make room in the rotation for others.

This is an unfortunate update on Cobb, but the Giants can at least take solace in the fact that Blake Snell looks to be on schedule to return and they have had solid performances from their young starters thus far.