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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal to start Saturday after elbow procedure
Tarik Skubal will return to the Detroit Tigers rotation on Saturday after missing just over a month following surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow. The two-time Cy Young winner made one minor-league rehab start and is expected to be on a pitch limit.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal will rejoin the team on Saturday to start against the Guardians after undergoing surgery on May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow, manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday. Skubal last pitched for the Tigers on April 29.
He made one minor-league rehab start, throwing five scoreless innings in High-A while allowing two hits, walking none, and striking out six. The 29-year-old underwent a less invasive procedure called the NanoScope that allowed faster recovery than the typical two-to-three-month timeline for such surgery.
"I need to keep the game of baseball as the game of baseball, especially not trying to make up for the last five weeks I've been gone," Skubal said earlier this week via the Detroit Free Press.
"I think just the next day, I started to feel better," Skubal said last month via MLB.com. "From other surgeries I've had in the past, you're in a cast and you can't move your arm.
Their rotation posted a 4.09 ERA during Skubal's absence while the offense averaged 4.03 runs per game, fifth-fewest in baseball. Skubal is a free agent after the season. If the Tigers remain out of postseason contention by the August 3 trade deadline, they may consider trading him along with other pending free agents.
