The Detroit Tigers are experiencing life without left-hander Tarik Skubal.
The reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner was scratched from his start Monday, May 4, against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park – and placed on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow, requiring surgery.
There isn’t a timetable for his return, but he is expected to miss multiple months before returning at some point in the 2026 season.
“It’s a big test,” said manager A.J. Hinch, whose Tigers entered Monday’s series opener with an 18-17 record. “You can’t deny it’s a big blow, but we’re not canceling the season. We’re going to play the games.”
In 2026, Skubal has a 2.70 ERA with six walks and 45 strikeouts across 43⅓ innings in seven starts. From 2023-26, the Tigers have a 54-30 record in Skubal’s 84 starts, in which he owns a 2.41 ERA across 511 innings.
Skubal isn’t the only injury.
The rotation has three pitchers on the IL: Skubal, right-hander Casey Mize (right adductor strain) and right-hander Justin Verlander (left hip inflammation). The bullpen has one: right-handed reliever Will Vest (right lateral forearm inflammation). And the position-player group has three: center fielder Parker Meadows (left radius fracture), utility player Zach McKinstry (left hip/abdominal inflammation) and shortstop Javier Báez (right ankle sprain).
That’s not including three other starting pitchers who suffered injuries before Opening Day: right-hander Jackson Jobe (Tommy John surgery), right-hander Reese Olson (right shoulder surgery) and right-hander Troy Melton (left elbow inflammation).
“It takes more than five starters and eight relievers and 13 position players,” Skubal said before Sunday’s game, less than 24 hours before being placed on the IL. “Every team goes through that. That’s where depth matters in this organization.”
All of the aforementioned players (except Olson) are expected to play for the Tigers before the 2026 postseason, including Skubal.
Other injuries can occur between now and then.
But the Tigers plan to be (almost) fully healthy in about four months – just in time for a postseason run.
“He’s going to want to be back very soon and complete as much of the season as he can – and pitch deep into October,” Hinch said of Skubal’s injury and surgery. “That hasn’t changed at all. The route to get there is a little bit bumpy now for him, and we’re going to need to adapt to not having him for the foreseeable future.”
Without Skubal, the Tigers have only two healthy starters from the Opening Day rotation: left-hander Framber Valdez and right-hander Jack Flaherty. The third starter is right-hander Keider Montero, who replaced an injured Verlander and has impressed despite inconsistency through six starts.
Although Valdez has been sharp, Flaherty ranks as one of the worst starters in baseball, with a 5.90 ERA in seven starts.
To replace Skubal, the Tigers recalled right-hander Ty Madden from Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old, a first-round pick by the Tigers in 2021, registered a 4.71 ERA with 12 walks and 21 strikeouts across 21 innings in six games (five starts) for the Mud Hens.
Madden could take over as the fourth starter.
What about the fifth starter?
“We’ll just answer it series by series,” said Hinch, who can’t activate a rehabbing Melton from the 60-day injured list until May 25. “We’ve been down this path before, where we’ve had something – one thing or another – going on in our rotation. We’re going to continue to lean on Framber and Keider and Jack, and then ultimately piece this together as we go.”
Eventually, Skubal will return to the Tigers.
Hopefully for them, it won’t be too late to secure a spot in the postseason.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to,” Hinch said. “I know what Tarik is going to bring back to this team when he gets there. It’s just, we have a process to get there.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch on Tarik Skubal injury: ‘We’re not canceling the season’
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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