SF Giants starter Alex Cobb will be ready to start the season

Despite missing some time after taking a line drive off the knee, SF Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb will be ready for Opening Day.

In good news for SF Giants fans, starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who took a line drive to his knee in his last spring training outing, threw four innings in Scottsdale on Monday and will be ready to start the season, according to a report by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The team is still deciding if Cobb will start the team's second game of the season, which would be his usual spot in the rotation, though.

Alex Cobb pitched four innings in Scottsdale today and felt good. He’ll be ready for the start of the season, although Giants still haven’t decided if he’ll still start the second game or get pushed back a bit.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) March 27, 2023

Up until his injury, which was ruled a knee contusion over something more serious or season jeopardizing, Cobb was slated to be the second starter in the Giants' rotation. In 13 innings pitched this spring, he generated 18 strikeouts, and allowed just 10 hits and two walks. The strikeouts are a great sign for the veteran righty, who dealt with some of the worst defensive backing among Giants starters in 2022.

SF Giants pitcher Alex Cobb throws a pitch against the Dodgers. (2022) / Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the defense behind him, Cobb managed to be a significant positive in the Giants rotation last season, proving his ability to put together solid outings and giving the already stretched-thin bullpen a break from the strain they were facing due to an injury-depleted rotation. He recorded a 3.73 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 149.2 innings pitched.

That said, the 2023 season will still put big pressure on for the 35-year-old, who will be looked to along with Webb to fill the serious hole left behind by Carlos Rodón, despite starting pitcher additions like Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling. 

In the SF Giants' first series of the season against the Yankees, it was likely that Alex Cobb would face off against his former teammate in Rodón, both thought to occupy the number two spot in their respective rotations. However, with the recovery from his knee contusion leaving Cobb's place in the rotation still undecided and Rodón sidelined until at least late April with a forearm strain, the matchup might have to wait. Still, he should be good to go at some point in the first four games.