SEATTLE — In some ways, the glimpses we have seen of Jackson Jobe’s tantalizing talent feel like they came long ago.There was Jobe, electrifying with triple-digit fastballs in spring training. There was Jobe, jogging in from the bullpen as fans chanted his name during his major-league debut. There was his first career start in Seattle, then a game against the Minnesota Twins in which he threw six scoreless innings.In all, though, Jobe has thrown only 53 career MLB innings. He injured his arm in May 2025 during a start against the San Francisco Giants. He was not seen in the clubhouse afterward, and he was not seen again for a long, long time.Now Jobe is back after a 14-month recovery from Tommy John surgery. At a crucial point in their season, after they traded away Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers are adding a powerful arm back into their rotation. Jobe is scheduled to start Saturday against the Giants. The long and lonely road from surgery has finally led him back to where he belongs.Did the Tigers get enough back for Tarik Skubal?Eno Sarris and Derek VanRiper“Honestly, (I learned) a lot about myself as a person off the field,” Jobe said this week in Seattle. “Obviously, the game was kind of taken away from me. I had to figure out my identity away from the game, which was really good for me.”Jobe has been a captivating subject since the day the Tigers drafted him third in 2021. He was a late arrival on the draft radar but possessed sickening stuff and a quiet confidence. The pick was controversial at the time, compared to Marcelo Mayer, the infielder who just got traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Giants. The jury is very much still out on which player will have the better career.Beginning Saturday, Jobe has a chance to shut the door on that conversation once and for all. Despite his bumpy path, no one questions his raw ability. In the small sample from last season, Jobe graded out with five above-average pitches, according to Stuff+ data. He wields one of the nastiest arsenals in the game. But his ERA in 10 major-league starts is 4.22. He struck out only 41 batters in his 53 innings.