The Detroit Tigers are anxiously waiting for star pitcher Tarik Skubal to come back after he underwent surgery at the beginning of May.
Skubal underwent surgery to have loose bodies removed from his elbow, and the initial timeframe for a return was anywhere between 2 and 3 months.
However, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch dropped a positive update on Skubal. Hinch said Skubal threw a live BP session and said it was “really encouraging.”
A.J. Hinch called Skubal’s live BP “really encouraging.” He’ll throw to hitters again on Sunday, building up in volume.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) May 26, 2026
Skubal will throw a rehab start before returning from injured list, Hinch reiterated.
Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, revealed that the pitcher underwent a special procedure to try to speed up the timeline.
Skubal, the 2025 American League Cy Young winner, threw a bullpen recently at Comerica Park, so this is the latest in a string of positive developments for the Tigers’ star pitcher.
Currently, Skubal’s name has been in plenty of trade rumors, and a report mentioned four teams that are expected to be interested in the reigning Cy Young winner: The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Tigers have still given no indication of whether or not they will trade him, but everything should become clearer when Skubal returns to the big-league club.
