Why Detroit Tigers veteran Alex Cobb hasn't quit baseball despite pain in both hips

Yahoo

31-07-2025

Alex Cobb has pain in both hips.
He still hasn't pitched for the Detroit Tigers.
And he doesn't want to share how many injections he has received in the past six months.
"It's been a lot," Cobb said.
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Cobb — the 37-year-old right-hander whom the Tigers signed to a one-year, $15 million contract in free agency — has been injured since early February, roughly one week before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
He has thrown countless bullpen sessions in the past six months, along with four starts in two separate rehab assignments. His goal is to pitch for the Tigers in 2025, whether it's in the regular season or the postseason.
The 13-year MLB veteran refuses to give up.
But why?
As he explained: "It's been obviously really challenging. I signed a really nice contract with a team that obviously had really high expectations for me going into the season. First and foremost, you have a responsibility to try to fulfill that as much as possible. As the diagnosis has come in, and the pain sets in, and you realize the challenges that are in front of you, I think realizing where you are at in your career, and the possibility of things things being over, to think about never stepping on a big-league mound again, it hits you pretty hard and gives you a motivation to want to be able to have that feeling again, jus competing against the best. Once you're done, you're done — your childhood dream is over. I don't want to have that feeling. I think the most important one is I've never been on a team with this type of potential. We have a real chance to do something really special. If I was ever on a team, and we were the last team standing, and we had a nice little trophy and a ring, I'd want to stare at that ring and feel like I did everything I could to contribute, even if it's just a little bit. I'd feel a lot more pride in that if I could stare at that ring, and even if it wasn't the expectations that I had for my season, knowing that I contributed in some sort of way."
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In his first rehab assignment, Cobb made two starts for High-A West Michigan and one start for Triple-A Toledo — from May 30-June 11 — before the Tigers stopped his rehab assignment due to soreness in both hips.
He began his second rehab assignment Tuesday, July 29, with High-A West Michigan, allowing one run on one hit and zero walks with four strikeouts in two innings. All four of his strikeouts came on swings.
He threw 31 pitches.
"Where I'm at, I'm going to have pain," said Cobb, who will start again Sunday, Aug. 3, for the Whitecaps. "It's just going to be dealing with it and seeing if we can do it effectively. I'm not going to be pain free, and I'm going to have to battle through pain."
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In the future, Cobb plans to undergo a procedure to fix his hips.
He expects to live a normal life after baseball.
In the meantime, Cobb has received numerous injections to block out as much pain as possible from his hips. He has relied on biologic injections, which uses ingredients like blood, tissues and cells from his own body.
"I'm making sure that they're not going to affect my long-term health," Cobb said. "It's not like I'm just shoving drugs into my system. I know it looks a little questionable on paper, but those injections have given me hope."
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Looking ahead, Cobb has redefined the expectations for what he aims to accomplish in the 2025 season.
He just wants to try his best to pitch again.
"I don't think I can define success by anything other than me giving every last bit I have to the organization," Cobb said. "Most other seasons, it would have been easier to probably throw in the towel at certain times, but it's just this season in front of me. What dictates the success at the end of the year is me knowing I did everything I could. I'll be able to lay down peacefully at night if I know that I gave everything I had."
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Alex Cobb won't quit baseball despite pain in hips