With the MLB regular season right around the corner, Giants manager Bob Melvin delivered encouraging news about Alex Cobb's rehab progress from offseason hip surgery.
The 31-year-old right-hander threw two innings in a minor league game on Saturday, an encouraging development as he works his way back into San Francisco's rotation.
During an interview on KNBR's "Talking Baseball with Marty Lurie," Melvin revealed there is a chance Cobb could get into a spring training game before the Giants leave Arizona.
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"It's just a testament to hard work," Melvin told Lurie. "It's not like he's 25 years old anymore but he went throughout his rehab process like he was. I think he's always had a date in his mind that he wanted to get back, and he's always been kind of pushing it a little bit, although listening to everybody.
"But it's exciting to be able to get him on a mound, and we might even be able to get him in a regular game before we leave spring training."
The veteran starter underwent surgery in Oct. 2023 to address labrum and impingement issues in his left hip, with his return originally estimated to be much deeper into the 2024 MLB season.
While there is no definitive timetable set for Cobb's 2024 debut, Melvin's optimistic tone about the 31-year-old's progress is a welcome sign for the Giants.
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Since signing with San Francisco before the 2022 season, Cobb has been one of the most reliable arms on the roster, posting a 3.80 ERA across 301 innings in 56 starts in the orange and black.
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