Tarik Skubal was seen shaking his left forearm during his last start. His timetable for a return is not yet known. Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
DETROIT — Back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is going on the injured list and will have surgery to clean up loose bodies in his left elbow, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Monday. The surgery casts a cloud of uncertainty over Skubal’s final year before free agency, as there is currently no timeline for his return.
In the seventh inning of his April 29 outing against the Braves, Skubal shook his left arm, grabbed his forearm and called catcher Dillon Dingler out to the mound. Hinch and a trainer also came to the mound. Skubal threw a warmup pitch, stayed in the game and struck out the side. But fear lingers any time a pitcher of Skubal’s caliber shows any sign of discomfort.
In the days that followed, Skubal reported good news.
“I think a lot of people here were (curious going into the bullpen session), but I don’t think I was one of them,” Skubal said Sunday. “I kind of felt like I would be all right coming out of it with just Day 1 soreness.”
Sometime later on Sunday, though, Hinch said Skubal’s elbow “locked up” again. Scans revealed the damage.
Hinch said he expects an “easy process and procedure” to clean up Skubal’s arm, but for now, it’s unclear exactly how much time Skubal will miss.
Losing Skubal is a major blow to a Tigers team with playoff aspirations. And with Skubal and agent Scott Boras eyeing perhaps a record deal for starting pitchers in free agency, there are more questions about what Skubal’s injury means for both his team and the course of his own career.
May 4, 2026
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