Tarik Skubal has been scratched from his start.
He has been placed on the injured list.
And he needs surgery.
The 29-year-old left-hander won’t start for the Detroit Tigers on Monday, May 4, against the Boston Red Sox in the first of three games in the series at Comerica Park. He is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow, manager A.J. Hinch announced before Monday’s game.
Skubal – the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner – could be sidelined for 2-3 months, but Hinch and Skubal declined to disclose an estimated timetable for a return to games while discussing the situation.
The date, location and surgeon for the procedure haven’t been determined.
This is a problem Skubal has been battling intermittently since before spring training.
Skubal experienced the pain in his left elbow on the big stage in the seventh inning of his last start against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, described by Hinch after Wednesday’s game as “a funny feeling on the outside of his arm.”
He shook his left arm, removed his glove and rubbed his left elbow, receiving a visit from Hinch, assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades and catcher Dillon Dingler. He stayed in the game after a practice pitch, then struck out the side.
Before Sunday’s game, Skubal wasn’t worried about the health of his left arm heading into Monday’s start.
Something changed between then and now.
That’s why the Tigers scratched Skubal from Monday’s scheduled start against the Red Sox. He has a 2.70 ERA with six walks and 45 strikeouts across 43⅓ innings in seven starts.
It’s unclear exactly when he will pitch again.
But don’t expect to see him on the mound for multiple months.
Skubal – a client of agent Scott Boras who won a record $32 million salary for his final year of team control by beating the Tigers’ $19 million offer in a historic arbitration hearing – is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
He has been projected to become the first pitcher in MLB history to secure a $400 million contract on the open market, but his health will factor into his payday in free agency.
This will be his third left elbow surgery in his baseball career.
He previously underwent Tommy John surgery (to repair the ulnar collateral ligament) in 2016 at Seattle University and flexor tendon surgery in 2022 with the Tigers.
Since his July 4, 2023, return, Skubal has registered a 2.41 ERA with a 4.4% walk rate and a 30.8% strikeout rate across 511 innings in 84 starts. His 17.5 fWAR ranks first among all MLB pitchers during that span, ahead of Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (13.5 fWAR) in second place.
Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award in 2024 and 2025 for his full-season performances, leading the Tigers in their back-to-back postseason appearances. (He also won the AL pitching Triple Crown in 2024 with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts.)
The former ninth-round pick in the 2018 draft has been the best pitcher in baseball for exactly 34 months.
Now, he is sidelined with an elbow injury that requires surgery.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal to undergo surgery for loose bodies in left elbow
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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