San Francisco Giants All-Star Alex Cobb May Return to Rotation Sooner Than Expected

Alex Cobb, who turned 36 and underwent hip surgery in the fall, has notably not been placed on the San Francisco Giants' 60-day injured list just yet.

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters Sunday that starting pitcher Alex Cobb is due back "relatively soon" into the 2024 regular season.

Cobb underwent hip surgery in October to remove multiple bone chips. Following the procedure, the 36-year-old starting pitcher now has five anchors in his hip.

The veteran started flat-ground throwing in January, at which point he believed he would be back before the All-Star break in July. Zaidi's latest update seems to corroborate that timeline, and the club's actions could insinuate Cobb's return coming a few weeks after Opening Day.

As noted by NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic, Cobb has not been placed on the 60-day injured list as part of any of the Giants' roster moves. Pavlovic also reported that several of Cobb's teammates are surprised by how far he has progressed at Spring Training camp in Arizona.

Farhan Zaidi said Alex Cobb is due back "relatively soon into the year." Cobb's teammates have been surprised by how far along he is in camp, and it's notable that Giants haven't put him on 60-day IL.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) March 3, 2024

Cobb made his first career All-Star appearance in 2023, going 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.322 WHIP and 2.6 WAR. San Francisco picked up a $10 million club option on Cobb's contract last fall, despite his injury.

The righty debuted with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. After establishing himself as a key part of the Rays' starting rotation, Cobb underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. He returned late in 2016, but wasn't back to full strength until 2017.

From there, Cobb would bounce around between the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and Giants, alternating between efficient seasons and injury-plagued campaigns.

For his career, Cobb is 77-75 with a 3.85 ERA, 1.276 WHIP and 19.6 WAR.

San Francisco expected to be down two starting pitchers to open 2024 – Cobb and former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, who the Giants picked up in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in January. Ray underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023.

Tristan Beck was one of the arms projected to replace the pair of veterans early on this season, but he is scheduled to undergo vascular surgery this week and is now headed towards the 60-day injured list himself.

The Giants went all-out in free agency this winter by signing Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler and Jordan Hicks. As a result, San Francisco certainly expects to have a playoff contender on its hands once Cobb, Ray and Beck rejoin the rotation.

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