The Tigers received a gut-punch medical update, as ace Tarik Skubal is headed for arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, manager A.J. Hinch tells the team’s beat (link via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). A timetable for his recovery has not yet been determined, but Skubal will obviously be placed on the 15-day injured list for now. The Tigers will recall righty Ty Madden and go with a bullpen game opened by Tyler Holton in Skubal’s place tonight. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Skubal was being scratched from his start tonight.
Skubal has been his typically excellent self so far in 2026. He’s started seven games, totaled 43 1/3 innings and notched a tidy 2.70 ERA to begin the season. His average fastball is down about a mile per hour relative to last year’s 97.6 mph peak, but this year’s 96.6 mph average is right in line with his 2024 levels, when he won the first of his two Cy Young trophies. Skubal has fanned 27.1% of his opponents against a superlative 3.6% walk rate.
Though it may not be the strongest start of Skubal’s career, his track record makes him the consensus top pitcher in the American League — if not all of MLB. Losing him for what will surely be an extended period is brutal for the Tigers, particularly given the team’s lackluster start to the season. Detroit is 18-17, tied with Cleveland for first place in the American League Central. Had the Tigers rushed out to a big lead, the loss of their ace — while still demoralizing — might have been easier to weather. Instead, their pedestrian play thus far has kept even the last-place Twins (15-20) within three games of a share of the division lead.
Every injury is different, but precedent suggests that Skubal should still be able to return to the mound this year. He’s not even a lock to be placed on the 60-day IL. Illustrating the variety of possible outcomes here, Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent surgery to remove loose bodies within days of each other this spring. Schwellenbach was immediately placed on the 60-day IL and still hasn’t begun throwing despite a nearly two-month layoff. Waldrep, meanwhile, was never placed on the 60-day IL and is set to throw bullpen sessions this week. He could feasibly return by late May or early June.
More to come.
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