ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 10-9, on Monday, June 1, in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
It’s a new month.
And it’s a new result.
The Tigers (23-38) snapped a four-game losing streak, but they’ve still lost 21 of their past 26 games.
Tarik Skubal responds to trade rumors
The trade rumors have intensified.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal – the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner who is set to become a free agent in approximately five months – views the speculation as a symptom of losing.
He believes the solution is simple.
“With all the trade stuff, we just got to start winning games,” Skubal said. “Last year, there was not one word about me being traded. Winning calms all that stuff down, and that’s what this team needs to do.”
The Tigers won just six of 28 games in May, but they’re off to a 1-0 start in June. Still, the Tigers sit 11 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and 6½ games out of the third and final AL wild-card spot.
Every loss increases the chances of the Tigers trading Skubal ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The 29-year-old is in his final season before free agency, making him the most attractive trade target in baseball – if the Tigers are sellers.
Some potential landing spots for Skubal in a trade: the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.
Tuesday marks 62 days until the trade deadline.
“That stuff is all out of my control, so why would I really worry about it?” said Skubal, who owns a 2.70 ERA in seven 2026 starts but hasn’t pitched since April 29. “I don’t really have control or say of what other people say and what other people’s opinions are. I care about the opinions of the guys in this clubhouse.”
Trade rumors have followed Skubal since 2022.
They’ve impacted him in every season – except 2025, when the Tigers were buyers at the trade deadline because of their standing as the AL’s best team.
In 2026, the Tigers have the AL’s worst record.
“Start winning baseball games,” Skubal said. “We need to win today’s game.”
Despite the bad stretch, Skubal – expected to return in mid-June after recovering from a minimally invasive left elbow surgery – remains confident in the Tigers’ ability to climb out of the hole they’ve buried themselves in.
It’s because he believes in his teammates.
“We’ve been counted out before,” Skubal said, referencing the Tigers’ magical run to the 2024 postseason. “Rightfully so, we were counted out, and rightfully so, we’re counted out right now. It’s the back-against-the-wall type of thing. We’ll see who we really are and how we fight. I’ve seen it before, and that gives me a ton of confidence in this group.”
New month, new Tigers?
The Tigers have the worst offense in baseball, ranking last among 30 MLB teams with an average of 3.82 runs per game over their first 61 games.
In Monday’s win, the offense looked completely different.
“It was an incredible night offensively for us,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
The Tigers blasted five home runs, including back-to-back-to-back homers from catcher Dillon Dingler, left fielder Kerry Carpenter and designated hitter Riley Greene in the third inning. The bullpen nearly wasted a massive lead, but right-handed reliever Will Vest delivered an unbelievable five-out save, using 40 pitches.
“It’s just trying to get to that next guy,” Greene said. “That’s who we were when we were going good – just trying to get to that next guy, pass the baton and trust the guy behind you. I feel like we did a really good job of that.”
Guess what matters most?
A win is a win.
Most importantly, the offense showed signs of life for the first time in a long time. Maybe it’s the start of something, maybe it’s nothing more than an outlier.
We’ll find out soon.
“Every run tonight was big, if you look at the way the game was,” Hinch said. “It felt like it was never going to be enough. With run scoring in the first [inning], there’s energy in our dugout.”
Gleyber Torres believes: ‘We can do something special’
The Tigers will activate second baseman Gleyber Torres for Tuesday’s game against the Rays, facing left-hander Steven Matz. The 29-year-old joined the Tigers on Monday after completing his two-game rehab assignment following a left oblique strain.
It will be his first game since May 2.
“There’s a lot of baseball left,” Torres said. “We can do something special.”
From 2025-26, Torres’ .364 on-base percentage ranks 17th among 134 qualified position players. Before the injury, he was hitting .259 with 25 walks and 22 strikeouts in 32 games, along with posting plus-five defensive runs saved.
He could save the Tigers.
But that’s not how Torres is approaching his return.
“I’m not trying to be a hero,” Torres said. “I can’t hit a homer and score five runs with one homer.”
So, what’s the solution?
It’s a collective effort from every player.
“This type of stretch, I don’t think one guy has to step up and be a hero,” Torres said. “It’s a group. It’s a team. We have to make something special happen. I think that can start tonight.”
Torres has watched both from afar and up close during his longer-than-expected rehab process. He hopes to bring energy to spark the Tigers in his return from the injured list.
He knows what is missing.
“I’ll try to do whatever I can do,” Torres said. “I’ll pass the baton if I have to pass the baton, and I’ll try to bring a little bit more energy. I think that’s what we need.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers takeaways: Tarik Skubal responds to trade rumors
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
