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It took the greatest pitcher on Planet Earth just 38 days to go from operating table to big-league rubber.
Tarik Skubal — Detroit Tigers ace, two-time Cy Young, impending free agent, tops in the biz, the sassiest strutter north of the Toledo strip — returned to action on Saturday, completing one of the more remarkable injury comebacks in recent memory. On May 6, Skubal underwent a revolutionary procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow, an ailment that typically requires months of recovery and rehabilitation. On June 13, Skubal threw a fastball 99.9 mph.
On Saturday while facing his old nemesis, the Cleveland Guardians, the club against whom he hiked a baseball last autumn, Skubal produced a final statline that was just OK. Cleveland tagged him for three runs, two of which were earned, across 4 2/3 innings of work. He threw 80 pitches, struck out four and walked one as the Tigers lost 3-1.
The only real blemish on the afternoon was a mislocated fastball to Cleveland utility man Daniel Schneemann, who deposited the offering into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. It was an astonishing, odds-bending result — only the fourth long ball Skubal has allowed to a left-handed hitter since the start of 2024. Catcher Dillon Dingler set up high and away, but the pitch leaked back inside, right into the path of Schneeman’s barrel. Skubal knew the result at contact; he didn’t even turn to watch.
Although Tigers skipper AJ Hinch claimed pregame that no governor would be placed on Skubal’s workload, it was no coincidence that Hinch strutted out to remove the southpaw after Skubal reached the 80-pitch mark.
Most importantly, Skubal looked more or less like his world-beating self. He threw 19 pitches at 98 mph or harder. His fastball velocity was actually up more than 1 mph on his pre-injury season average (96.6 vs. 97.8). He induced five whiffs on his trademark changeup and three more on his slider. The command was more sufficient than elite, understandable given the context. All that rust will shake off in time.
It was symbolic, in an unfortunate way, that the Tigers still lost on Saturday. Detroit was cobbling together a disappointing campaign before Skubal hit the shelf. Unsurprisingly, things only got worse in his absence. The team is now 13 games under .500, six games adrift of a wild-card spot in the immensely lackluster American League. Detroit’s offense has been markedly better in June, a development that offered some legitimate hope ahead of Skubal’s return. But the road ahead is still daunting, which will only intensify the trade chatter around the Tigers’ ace.
Skubal is set to reach free agency this winter for the first time. Even with his recent injury and the uncertainty surrounding MLB’s labor situation, the 29-year-old will command a record-breaking contract on the open market. A reunion with Detroit is not completely impossible; however, the consensus around the game is that a bigger market will break the bank to secure Skubal’s services. In other words, Skubal signing a contract extension with the Tigers before season’s end is less likely than Shohei Ohtani retiring to run for Congress.
That makes Skubal the game’s most interesting character as the trade deadline approaches. If the Tigers remain out of the mix, they’ll have no choice but to entertain offers for their superstar.
Skubal’s swift comeback was the product of a brand-new medical device called the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0. Historically, the procedure to remove bone chips or loose bodies requires a larger incision, one wide enough to insert a scope with a diameter of 4 millimeters into the elbow. But the futuristically named NanoNeedle is just 1.9 millimeters in diameter. That means a smaller incision, less scar tissue and a speedier recovery.
The product was designed by a company called Arthrex in conjunction with industry-leading surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Skubal’s unprecedented return timeline makes him front-of-the-brochure material. It’s now likely that the NanoNeedle will soon become the primary course of action for any pitcher suffering from loose bodies.
But on the whole, Saturday was a massive positive — for Skubal, for the Tigers and for the many, many other parties interested in the health of the sport’s most important elbow.
Continue reading...
Tarik Skubal — Detroit Tigers ace, two-time Cy Young, impending free agent, tops in the biz, the sassiest strutter north of the Toledo strip — returned to action on Saturday, completing one of the more remarkable injury comebacks in recent memory. On May 6, Skubal underwent a revolutionary procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow, an ailment that typically requires months of recovery and rehabilitation. On June 13, Skubal threw a fastball 99.9 mph.
On Saturday while facing his old nemesis, the Cleveland Guardians, the club against whom he hiked a baseball last autumn, Skubal produced a final statline that was just OK. Cleveland tagged him for three runs, two of which were earned, across 4 2/3 innings of work. He threw 80 pitches, struck out four and walked one as the Tigers lost 3-1.
The only real blemish on the afternoon was a mislocated fastball to Cleveland utility man Daniel Schneemann, who deposited the offering into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. It was an astonishing, odds-bending result — only the fourth long ball Skubal has allowed to a left-handed hitter since the start of 2024. Catcher Dillon Dingler set up high and away, but the pitch leaked back inside, right into the path of Schneeman’s barrel. Skubal knew the result at contact; he didn’t even turn to watch.
Although Tigers skipper AJ Hinch claimed pregame that no governor would be placed on Skubal’s workload, it was no coincidence that Hinch strutted out to remove the southpaw after Skubal reached the 80-pitch mark.
Most importantly, Skubal looked more or less like his world-beating self. He threw 19 pitches at 98 mph or harder. His fastball velocity was actually up more than 1 mph on his pre-injury season average (96.6 vs. 97.8). He induced five whiffs on his trademark changeup and three more on his slider. The command was more sufficient than elite, understandable given the context. All that rust will shake off in time.
It was symbolic, in an unfortunate way, that the Tigers still lost on Saturday. Detroit was cobbling together a disappointing campaign before Skubal hit the shelf. Unsurprisingly, things only got worse in his absence. The team is now 13 games under .500, six games adrift of a wild-card spot in the immensely lackluster American League. Detroit’s offense has been markedly better in June, a development that offered some legitimate hope ahead of Skubal’s return. But the road ahead is still daunting, which will only intensify the trade chatter around the Tigers’ ace.
Skubal is set to reach free agency this winter for the first time. Even with his recent injury and the uncertainty surrounding MLB’s labor situation, the 29-year-old will command a record-breaking contract on the open market. A reunion with Detroit is not completely impossible; however, the consensus around the game is that a bigger market will break the bank to secure Skubal’s services. In other words, Skubal signing a contract extension with the Tigers before season’s end is less likely than Shohei Ohtani retiring to run for Congress.
That makes Skubal the game’s most interesting character as the trade deadline approaches. If the Tigers remain out of the mix, they’ll have no choice but to entertain offers for their superstar.
Skubal’s swift comeback was the product of a brand-new medical device called the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0. Historically, the procedure to remove bone chips or loose bodies requires a larger incision, one wide enough to insert a scope with a diameter of 4 millimeters into the elbow. But the futuristically named NanoNeedle is just 1.9 millimeters in diameter. That means a smaller incision, less scar tissue and a speedier recovery.
The product was designed by a company called Arthrex in conjunction with industry-leading surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Skubal’s unprecedented return timeline makes him front-of-the-brochure material. It’s now likely that the NanoNeedle will soon become the primary course of action for any pitcher suffering from loose bodies.
But on the whole, Saturday was a massive positive — for Skubal, for the Tigers and for the many, many other parties interested in the health of the sport’s most important elbow.
Continue reading...
