Top pitching prospect Jobe makes Tigers' Wild Card Series roster

HOUSTON -- The Tigers spent nearly two months utilizing the full extent of their pitching staff to mix and match their way into their first playoff spot in 10 years. Why would manager A.J. Hinch change that now?

“Our plan, to give you a brief overview, is Tarik Skubal [for Game 1] and pitching chaos the rest of the way,” Hinch said Monday, “which is kind of how it’s been the last two months.”

That strategy shaped the construction of the Tigers’ 26-man roster for the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Astros. And as expected, that chaos will include baseball’s top pitching prospect, Jackson Jobe, as part of a 12-man pitching staff.

The Tigers called up Jobe on Sept. 24 with the idea of using him as a bullpen arm. His two outings tested the range of his versatility, from the ninth inning of a win over the Rays to three hitless innings of bulk relief in a loss to the White Sox. Don’t expect Jobe to be a bulk pitcher in this series, but Detroit could deploy his power fastball, sneaky changeup and high-spin sweeper at any point for key outs -- particularly if it needs strikeouts -- something that has not been a strength of the bullpen.

“Our ability to audible and pivot has been probably our biggest strength strategy-wise,” Hinch said Tuesday morning. “We have the ability to kind of weave through issues.”

Jobe, Reese Olson, Brant Hurter and Casey Mize all could provide a few innings in relief. Olson is likely to pitch Game 2 on Wednesday (2:30 p.m. ET on ABC), either as a starter or a bulk reliever.

Though Jobe was not on the Tigers’ roster at the end of August, the usual cutoff for playoff eligibility, he was eligible to be added as an injury replacement. With Sawyer Gipson-Long having spent all season on the injured list following Tommy John surgery, Detroit had a slot through which it could add Jobe with approval from Major League Baseball.

Jobe is one of nine rookies on the Tigers’ Wild Card Series roster. The only player on the roster with postseason experience is Matt Vierling, who went to the World Series with the 2022 Phillies.

On the flip side, right-handers Kenta Maeda and Keider Montero were left off the Wild Card Series roster. Maeda, who has the most playoff experience on the club, spent the second half of the season in Detroit’s bullpen before starting Sunday’s regular-season finale. He threw 89 pitches in the loss, so he likely wouldn’t have been available regardless. Montero, who was one of two traditional starters the Tigers used for most of August, threw the final three innings Sunday.

Both Maeda and Montero are with the team in Houston and will be part of a taxi squad in case of injuries, along with infielder Ryan Kreidler and Double-A Erie catcher Liam Hicks.

“Specifically, Kenta, I spoke with him after the workout [Monday] and let him know that he wasn't going to be active for this series,” Hinch said. “But I wanted to connect what we asked out of him on Sunday to today, getting us ready. His contribution for this first series came in a bunch of pitches that we left him out there for on Sunday to allow us to give rest to the bigger group of relievers that we have.”

Here’s the roster:

Catchers: Dillon Dingler, Jake Rogers

Infielders: Andy Ibáñez, Jace Jung, Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson

Outfielders: Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Matt Vierling

Pitchers: Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, Tarik Skubal, Will Vest