SF Giants activate RHP Alex Cobb from IL, option INF David Villar to Triple-A

The SF Giants activated right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb from the injured list and optioned infielder David Villar prior to the team’s game on Friday.

Marc Delucchi | Jun 30, 2023

SF Giants activate RHP Alex Cobb from IL, option INF David Villar to Triple-A /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants activated right-handed starting pitcher Alex Cobb from the injured list on Thursday, optioning infielder David Villar to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. Cobb made a rehab start at Single-A San Jose last week and struck out nine across 3.2 innings pitched. Cobb only threw 66 pitches in his rehab appearance, so it would not be shocking to see him limited to 75-85 pitches in his first start back.

SF Giants starter Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies on June 8, 2023. — SF Giants starter Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies. (2023) / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Cobb has arguably been the most underrated pitcher in MLB over the past year. Despite some struggles as he tried to pitch through his oblique injury, Cobb has a 3.09 ERA on the season with 76 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 78.2 innings pitched. Since Cobb June 19th of last year, he has racked up 4.3 fWAR (4.3) alongside a 3.07 ERA, 3.02 FIP, and 3.14 xFIP. However, Cobb allowed 13 earned runs across his last four starts before landing on the injured list.

Cobb is the second veteran starter to return to the Giants roster after a stint on the injured list this week. The Giants activated righty Ross Stripling on Sunday. The Giants have leaned on bullpen games in Cobb's absence, although starting pitching prospects Keaton Winn (Giants preseason #18 prospect), Tristan Beck (Giants preseason #19 prospect), and Sean Hjelle (Giants preseason #28 prospect) have excelled in prolonged outings during those games.

Villar returns to the minors amidst his disappointing follow-up to a promising 2022 season. Villar's MLB triple-slash is an ugly .159/.244/.345 with six doubles and five home runs. His struggles at the plate have led him to fall down the depth chart and be relegated to a fringe bench/minor-league role this season. However, after learning to love baseball again, Villar seemed to turn a corner at Triple-A and hit .294/.368/.647 with four extra-base hits in 19 plate appearances since rejoining the big-league club.

The SF Giants have been depleted by injuries to their starting rotation throughout the season. With that in mind, they are happy to welcome Alex Cobb back into the fold as they look to finish the first half of the season strong.

Published Jun 30, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).