Alex Cobb exited Tuesday’s game in the fifth inning with a groin injury and is now hitting the 10-day injured list.
Giants manager told reporters after the first game of the team’s doubleheader in Queens that Cobb, 34, is likely heading to the IL. An official move from the club came shortly thereafter. Cobb allowed four runs — three earned — in 4.1 innings during San Francisco’s 5-4 loss in extras to the Mets.
After surrendering a string of base hits and also sprinting from the mound to cover first, Cobb gingerly shook his right leg. He was seen grabbing at his groin area while running after allowing a double to Jeff McNeil.
Earlier in the game, Cobb took an awkward fall at home plate, when Starling Castro slid in to score on a wild pitch. That was in the first inning, though, and Cobb looked effective for three innings afterward.
Cobb going to the IL immediately allows the Giants to carry both reliever Yunior Marte and infielder Luke Williams on the roster for the second game of the night. San Francisco used up most of its high-leverage arms — Dominic Leone, Jake McGee, Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers and Jarlin García — in the extra-inning defeat.
In the long-term, his injury could pave the way for an MLB debut for pitching prospect Sean Hjelle. A spot start in Washington D.C. may have been necessary anyway, given the Giants were set to play six games in five days (including Tuesday’s doubleheader). No starter will be ready on four-days rest on Saturday, April 23.
The extent of Cobb’s groin injury isn’t yet clear. Kapler said postgame that the righty hadn’t gotten an MRI yet.
The veteran pitcher did, however, suffer a groin strain in 2019. He was initially placed on the 10-day IL for that injury, which later led to season-ending hip surgery. Cobb hasn’t reached 100 innings pitched in a season since 2018.