Skubal (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan on Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Coming up on a year since undergoing flexor tendon surgery on his left elbow, Skubal is set to return to game action after completing another bullpen session Thursday. He will likely require 4-5 starts in the minors as he builds his arm up, putting his return to the Detroit rotation sometime in late June.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Rehab assignment on tap next
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Skubal (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment as long as he bounces back from Tuesday's live batting practice session with no issues, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Skubal has reportedly been impressive in facing live hitters and is about ready to commence with a rehab assignment. He's expected to require 4-to-5 rehab starts before returning, so the left-hander probably won't be an option for the Tigers before late June. He's coming back from flexor tendon surgery.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: To throw live BP this week
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Skubal (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice later this week, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The live BP workout will be a significant step forward for Skubal, who has been limited to bullpen sessions over the last month. Nearing the end of his recovery from August 2022 flexor tendon surgery, the 26-year-old southpaw might be a consideration for the Tigers' rotation by the end of June.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Nearing rehab assignment
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Skubal (elbow) will throw his another bullpen session Saturday as he continues his recovery from last year's flexor tendon surgery, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Skubal is 11 months removed from surgery and has been throwing all of his pitches, with Saturday's bullpen being his seventh since he began ramping up. He should be cleared to face hitters soon and could start a rehab assignment not long after that. A return to the Detroit rotation by late June seems possible.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Completes 15-pitch side session
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Skubal (elbow) tossed a 15-pitch bullpen session Saturday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Skubal threw exclusively fastballs during the session, which marked his first time taking part in mound work in nearly nine months after he underwent flexor tendon surgery last August. After opening the season on the 60-day injured list, Skubal won't be eligible to make his 2023 debut until May 29, but the Tigers haven't provided a firm target date for him to be activated. A clearer timeline for his debut could come into focus once he completes several more side sessions and faces live hitters in batting practice before advancing to what will likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: To throw bullpen Friday
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Skubal (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
It will be the first mound work for Skubal since he underwent left flexor tendon surgery last August. The 26-year-old southpaw still has many boxes to check in his rehab, but he could perhaps be an option for the Tigers' starting rotation around early June. He was placed on the 60-day injured list before Opening Day.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Throwing bullpen soon
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Skubal (elbow) is completing a throwing progression and will throw a bullpen this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Skubal is playing catch for a week before being schedule to throw his first bullpen since undergoing left flexor tendon surgery. It's a major step forward for the southpaw in his hope to return to the Detroit rotation in the summer months. Because of how much time he's missed, Skubal will likely need to make a handful of rehab appearances on top of completing several bullpens before he's a rotation option.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Increases catch sessions
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The Tigers announced Tuesday that Skubal (elbow) is completing a throwing progression and is playing catch six times per week, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Skubal is on the 60-day injured list while he continues his recovery from left flexor tendon surgery. The left-hander has steadily increased how often he's been able to play catch this spring, but it's unclear how soon he might be ready for mound work. Skubal isn't expected to be ready to pitch for Detroit until at least the early part of the summer.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Placed on 60-day IL
Rotowire
Skubal was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Tigers on Tuesday as he continues his recovery from left flexor tendon surgery.
The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for waiver claim Freddy Pacheco. Skubal has been throwing on flat ground for a while but is expected to miss at least the first couple months of the season.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Throwing fives times weekly
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Skubal (elbow) is completing his throwing progression and playing catch five times a week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Skubal is still expected to miss the first couple months of the season, but his steady progression bodes well for a return near the start of June. The left-hander was as good as anyone in Detroit's rotation in 2022, producing a 3.52 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with a 8.9 K/9 over 117.2 innings in 21 starts. He figures to take another step up in 2023 if he can return to full health this summer.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Doing flat-ground throwing
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Skubal (elbow) said Thursday he has advanced to flat-ground throwing, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
Skubal is currently doing around 40 throws on flat ground four times a week, and the hope is that he can get clearance to return to mound work sometime this spring. The 26-year-old left-hander is already ticketed for a season-opening stint on the IL following flexor tendon surgery last August, but he should be an option again for the Tigers around mid-2023 if there are no setbacks along the way.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Getting in grip-strengthening work
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Skubal (elbow) has been focused on forearm- and grip-strengthening work at this stage of his rehab program and has yet to resume throwing, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Skubal is on the mend from the season-ending surgery he underwent Aug. 17 to repair the flexor muscle in his left elbow. The procedure typically doesn't carry as lengthy of a recovery timeline as Tommy John surgery, but it's worth noting that former Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd had the same flexor tendon surgery Sept. 27 of last year and didn't begin a minor-league rehab assignment until more than 10 months later. Skubal won't necessarily face a similar recovery timeline, but the young left-hander should be expected to open 2023 on the injured list and miss a large chunk of the upcoming season.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Undergoes flexor tendon surgery
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Skubal, who has already been ruled out for the rest of the 2022 season, underwent successful flexor tendon surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The 25-year-old was ruled out for the season last week and was set to visit a specialist in Los Angeles, who apparently determined that surgery was necessary. A typical recovery takes nine months, so Skubal is likely to miss significant time to begin the 2023 campaign. The lefty made 21 starts for Detroit this season and finished with a 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 117:32 K:BB across 117.2 innings.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Done for season, seeing specialist
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Skubal is visiting a specialist in Los Angeles on Monday to check on his elbow and isn't on track to return this season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Skubal was placed on the 60-day injured list Friday, which technically left him enough time to return at the tail end of the season, but it's now official that he won't pitch again in 2022. The lefty's initial diagnosis was merely arm fatigue, but a significantly more serious issue appears to be in play. Whether or not his absence will stretch into next season could become clear after Monday's evaluation.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Shifts to 60-day IL
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Skubal (arm) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday.
The 25-year-old originally landed on the shelf with arm fatigue after his last start Aug. 1. He can technically be activated in early October, but with only a couple games left on the schedule at that point the move to the 60-day IL will likely end his 2022 campaign. Skubal was able to quickly resume a throwing program after being shut down, but he apparently had some type of a setback over the past week. He came on strong for the Tigers this year with a 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 117:32 K:BB across 117.2 innings.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Resuming throwing program
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Skubal (arm) is scheduled to restart his throwing program within the next couple days, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The left-hander landed on the 10-day IL with arm fatigue earlier this week, and it's an encouraging sign he isn't expected to be shut down from throwing for long. Skubal won't be eligible to be reinstated to the active roster until Aug. 17, but it's unclear if he'll be ready at that point. Bryan Garcia was promoted to start Friday against the Rays in Skubal's place.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Dealing with forearm inflammation
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Skubal was diagnosed with left forearm inflammation Tuesday and is expected to miss at least one turn through Detroit's starting rotation, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The left-hander exited Monday's start with left arm fatigue after five scoreless innings, and it now appears he could be headed to the injured list. Skubal has been a bright spot for the Tigers this year with a 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 117:32 K:BB over 117.2 innings, and the team is likely to exercise significant caution since he's dealing with a forearm injury.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Leaves with arm fatigue
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Skubal was removed from Monday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Twins with left arm fatigue. He struck out four and allowed three hits and two walks over five shutout frames before exiting the contest.
Skubal shined in a third straight start, but took a no-decision despite exiting with a 2-0 lead before the arm issue cropped up. Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Skubal said after the game that he's planning to make his next start, but that may be contingent on him throwing a bullpen session without discomfort in the next few days. The southpaw tentatively lines up to make his next turn through the rotation Saturday versus the Rays.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Posts another strong outing
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Skubal allowed two unearned runs on three hits across six innings but did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-3 over the Padres. He walked three and struck out two.
Coming out of the All-Star break, Skubal has now tossed 12 innings without allowing an earned run. It's reminiscent of how the lefty looked earlier in the year, and he's lowered his ERA to 3.67 in the process. It remains to be seen if Skubal can keep this up or if he'll run into a rough patch again, but he certainly looks like Detroit's ace at the moment. He'll aim to keep rolling in his next scheduled start Monday against the Twins.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Electric in Thursday's win
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Skubal (7-8) allowed one unearned run on two hits across six innings to earn the win in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Athletics. He walked two and struck out nine.
Skubal started the second half of the season with a bang, and it was reminiscent of how he was rolling in the first few months of the year. Perhaps the extra rest helped the lefty, who's now up to 106.2 innings after tossing a career-high 149.1 innings in 2021. It will be interesting to see what Skubal has left in the tank as the season progresses and he potentially eclipses 150 innings, but the 38-55 Tigers will certainly be cautious with the 25-year-old if he shows signs of wearing down. Skubal is tentatively slated to take the hill again Tuesday against the Padres.
