Tigers left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal was recently shut down with an injury to his left elbow. It was already known that his 2022 season was over, but the news has gotten a touch worse. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Wednesday that Skubal has undergone flexor tendon surgery.
Thus far, the Tigers haven't put a timetable on a possible return for Skubal. As pointed out by Tigers beat writer Jason Beck, Matthew Boyd had flexor tendon surgery last September and he's still not back, though obviously we can't be sure if the severity of the injury is the same and all players heal differently.
Skubal, 25, was 7-8 with a 3.52 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP and 117 strikeouts against 32 walks in 117 2/3 innings this season, his second full year in the majors. He's flashed good upside and looked like a possible All-Star through 11 starts (2.33 ERA, 2.08 FIP), so this is another setback for an organization that hasn't had much good news recently.
Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, had Tommy John surgery back in June. Right-hander Spencer Turnbull is still recovering from his Tommy John surgery and these are only the most prominent names on the injured list among Tigers pitchers.
The Tigers recently fired general manager Al Avila and are working through the process of hiring a new leader of the front office. In the meantime, they entered Wednesday 45-74, which is last place in the AL Central and ranks 28th among the 30 MLB teams.
The new front office was already going to have its hands full, but with Mize and Skubal looking at lengthy recoveries from major surgery, building a rotation for the future is just that much more tricky.
