Tarik Skubal will return to the Detroit Tigers rotation Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, giving Detroit its ace back nearly five weeks after an arthroscopic procedure on his left elbow.
Tarik Skubal Set For Guardians Start
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday that Skubal would start Saturday. Hinch also said right-hander Casey Mize could return Sunday if he completed another bullpen session later Thursday.
Skubal, 29, is the reigning back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. Hinch called him "the best pitcher in baseball" while discussing the boost his return should give Detroit.
Elbow Scope Return Comes Ahead Of Timeline
The Tigers announced in early May that Skubal needed arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. ESPN reported that the procedure, called a NanoNeedle scope, took place nearly five weeks ago.
That puts his return ahead of the typical two-to-three-month absence for the injury. Detroit is getting him back quickly, but the source details stay simple: the procedure happened, the rehab start happened, and the next step is Saturday against Cleveland.
Skubal Throws Five Scoreless In Rehab Start
Skubal made one rehab start for Detroit's High-A affiliate Sunday, allowing two hits over five shutout innings. He told reporters afterward that his velocity and execution were good and that he felt he threw plenty of strikes.
Before landing on the injured list, Skubal was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts. He allowed 35 hits and 13 earned runs over 43 1/3 innings, and he last pitched for the Tigers on April 29.
For Detroit, the return changes the feel of the rotation immediately. A healthy Skubal does not solve every problem in June, because baseball refuses to be that tidy, but adding a Cy Young-level starter before a division matchup is a very practical kind of good news.