Cleveland Guardians Timeline for Alex Cobb Return, Revealed

The Cleveland Guardians' timeline for Alex Cobb returning to the diamond has been revealed.

Sep 3, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (38) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians made a couple of good moves ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline.

First up, they acquired outfielder Lane Thomas. Adding an outfielder was a major priority and Thomas has the talent and potential to be a key impact player for the remainder of the season.

Next, the Guardians went out and acquired a starting pitcher. That pitcher was San Francisco Giants' starter Alex Cobb.

Cobb, who hasn't pitched this season due to an injury, has a long track record of success. Assuming he can get back to full health, he would be a major impact piece for Cleveland.

While he is still not ready to play just yet, his return to the diamond is coming up soon.

Joel Sherman, an MLB reporter for the New York Post, took to X and revealed some details about when Cobb will return to the field. It will indeed be in the very near future.

Guardians plan for Cobb to make 1 more rehab start upon joining the organization and then join the rotation thereafter.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2024

At 36 years old, Cobb brings a lot of valuable experience to the Guardians. He could be the piece that ends up anchoring the rotation when everything is said and done.

During the 2023 season with the Giants, Cobb ended up starting in 28 games. He racked up a 7-7 record to go along with a 3.87 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, a 3.5 K/BB ratio, and 151.1 innings pitched.

Those numbers would be a welcome addition for Cleveland if he can get back to that production.

It will be interesting to see how Cobb performs with the Guardians. He has the potential to be exactly the piece that the rotation needed to take the next step.

Before the trade deadline, Cleveland was already an elite World Series contender. Following their trades for Thomas and Cobb, those chances did increase.

Even though the Guardians improved, most of the other contenders did as well. Hopefully, Cobb can recover quickly and get back to being a dominant force in the Cleveland rotation.