Tarik Skubal’s rehab from elbow surgery is moving quickly enough to raise hopes among Detroit Tigers fans, with the club well aware of the dangers of getting ahead of themselves.
The Tigers ace has already thrown bullpen sessions after having a loose body removed from his left elbow earlier this month. There is still no official timetable for his return, though he appears to be moving well through the early stages of his build-up.
Skubal hit a private velocity target during recent bullpen work without sharing the number publicly. At this stage, regaining trust in the arm sits alongside mechanics and radar readings on the checklist.
The pitcher Detroit is trying to get back
Before the injury, Skubal was among the best starters in baseball. Over seven starts, he posted a 2.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 43.1 innings and a 0.95 WHIP. His last outing before the injured list was a seven-inning, two-run effort against the Braves.
Skubal has said his arm has felt normal since the procedure and that he has been symptom-free ever since. He is now chasing the cleaner baseline he did not have while pitching through discomfort earlier in the year.
A faster procedure, but the same careful build-up
The surgery was performed using a NanoNeedle scope, a minimally invasive technique that causes less tissue disruption than a traditional procedure. The recovery has moved faster as a result, while the build-up still has to be measured.
Manager AJ Hinch has dismissed the idea of skipping a rehab assignment, calling it “ridiculous.” He has framed the next phase as building endurance and getting back into a regular routine.
The gap between a bullpen and a starter’s workload
Skubal may be ahead of schedule, but the Tigers still need him ready to handle a full starter’s load. Looking sharp in a bullpen and pitching every five days at the major league level are different tests.
His recent bullpen work has been described as a normal pregame session using his full pitch mix, though not at max effort. Progress is clear, with the process still unfinished.
Hinch has been clear there will be no shortcuts. For now, Skubal is throwing symptom-free and starting to trust his body again, with no set return date.
