We had significant news out of Major League Baseball on Monday with the Detroit Tigers announcing that ace and two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will need surgery on his pitching (left) elbow and out an indefinite period. It’s not for a torn ligament, which is good news, but he still might be looking at 2-3 months on the sideline to get some loose bodies in that elbow addressed.
Skubal could be seen shaking his left arm during the seventh inning of his start last Wednesday in Atlanta. He was visited by team trainers but stayed in the game and struck out the side to complete his outing. Skubal had been penciled in for his usual start on Monday against Boston before the surgery decision was made as he had a flare up Sunday.
It’s his first IL stint since 2023, although Skubal had Tommy John surgery while in college at Seattle University, forcing him to miss the 2017 season and drop to the ninth round in the 2018 MLB Draft. He also underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendong in his left forearm in 2022, knocking him out for 11 months. Loose bodies are bone chips or small fragments of cartilage caused by repeated stress on the bone located at the back of the elbow. The chips cause pain and in some cases has a connection to UCL damage. But by all accounts, Skubal’s UCL is fine for now.Â
“From my understanding, you just go take it out,” Skubal told reporters Monday. “I think length of the rehab is probably just getting your spring training buildup up again, getting your volume up. But the procedure itself I think is pretty simple as far as what I’ve been explained. This is something that I’ve been dealing with all season. It’s good to get an answer, honestly.”
Both Tigers manager AJ Hinch and Skubal refused to disclose an estimated timetable for a return to games while discussing the situation Monday. The actual date for the surgery is still unknown. Skubal was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in seven starts. He was the +230 favorite at DraftKings to threepeat as AL Cy Young winner but is now off the board completely. No pitcher has ever won the AL Cy three straight seasons.
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The beneficiary so far is young Yankees starter Cam Schlittler as the 25-year-old jumped from +500 to the +230 favorite. His teammate Max Fried also got a boost from +650 to +250.
Needless to say, this could be potentially devastating to the Tigers, who could have traded Skubal this offseason ahead of his unrestricted free agency next winter. But the franchise was all-in to win a World Series in 2026 — it hasn’t won a title since the memorable 1984 club. The last pennant was in 2012. The team has gone out in five games in the ALDS the past two seasons.
And we can’t really blame Skubal for perhaps being a little selfish in his recovery because he was potentially looking at a record-setting contract for a starting pitcher when he hits the market. It’s unlikely the Tigers will be able to afford him. Skubal won a salary arbitration case in February and is being paid $32 million this season; Detroit’s offer was for only $19 million. Ty Madden will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to join the rotation.
The Tigers are neck-and-neck with Cleveland for the AL Central lead and still the +160 favorites but barely over the Guardians (+175). The SportsLine Projection Model has downgraded Detroit from 85.2 wins on the season to 84.7 if Skubal is out until mid-July. The team’s chances of winning the Central drop from 50.1% to 48.3% and the playoffs from 68.3% to 66.7%. It is one major benefit to be playing in a weak division to where it might only take a .500 record to win it.Â
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