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Skubal (elbow) tossed five scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start with High-A West Michigan, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out six batters.
Back on the mound for the first time since undergoing surgery May 6 to remove a loose body from his left elbow, Skubal exhibited no signs of rust. Though he was facing off against lower-caliber competition, Skubal was supremely efficient, spotting 44 of his 54 total pitches for strikes. According to Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press, Skubal tossed an additional 15 pitches out of the bullpen following the start, so he could be stretched out enough to make his next appearance with the big club. The Tigers will presumably reassess Skubal in a bullpen session within the next few days, and if all goes well, he could rejoin the Detroit rotation as soon as Friday in Cleveland. Even if the Tigers elect to send Skubal out for another rehab start, he's still on track to easily beat his initial estimated recovery timeline of 2-to-3 months following surgery.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Making rehab start Sunday
Rotowire
Skubal (elbow) will make a rehab start with High-A West Michigan on Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
It will be Skubal's first rehab start since undergoing surgery to have bone chips removed from his left elbow in early May. He's been throwing bullpens and simulated games with the Tigers in recent weeks, but the lefty will now head out on a rehab assignment to get some game action. As long as all goes smoothly, Skubal looks poised to rejoin the Tigers' rotation perhaps as early as next week.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Completes four-inning sim game
Rotowire
Skubal (elbow) worked four innings in a simulated game Monday at Tropicana Field, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Unofficially, Skubal allowed two hits and one walk and struck out six batters while inducing 10 swings and misses on 64 pitches (45 strikes). The workload marked a substantial increase from Skubal's previous sim game last Tuesday, when he tossed 39 pitches over 2.2 innings. Though manager A.J. Hinch previously indicated that the Tigers were expecting Skubal complete a third sim game during the upcoming weekend, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News suggests that Detroit could nix that plan and instead have the two-time Cy Young Award winner head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The Tigers will wait and see how Skubal bounces back from Monday's sim game before deciding his next step, but if the southpaw is cleared to join a minor-league affiliate, he may need just one start before returning from the 15-day injured list and slotting back into the Detroit rotation.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Next simulated game Monday
Rotowire
Skubal (elbow) will throw another simulated game Monday at Tropicana Field, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Skubal tossed 39 pitches over 2.2 innings in a simulated game Tuesday and will build up further Monday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Skubal's next throwing session after Monday's will occur June 7. Woodbery speculates that it could line Skubal up to make a rehab start June 12 before rejoining the Tigers' rotation June 17 in Houston, though nothing is official on that front at this point.
Skubal (elbow) threw 39 pitches over 2.2 innings in a simulated game Tuesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Skubal struck out three and served up a home run to Jahmai Jones in what was his first time facing hitters since he underwent surgery earlier this month to remove a loose body from his left elbow. Per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, manager A.J. Hinch said that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is slated to throw another live batting practice session in five days, and Skubal will require at least one minor-league rehab start after that before being activated from the injured list. Skubal continues to make a swift recovery and appears to be tracking toward a return to the Detroit rotation within the next few weeks.
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Another bullpen session Thursday
Rotowire
Skubal (elbow) threw a successful 35-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
It's at least the third time he's thrown from the mound since he had surgery just over two weeks ago to remove a loose body from his elbow. Skubal upped the intensity of his throwing Thursday and was able to reach the velocity goal he set prior to the session. The two-time Cy Young winner continues to make rapid progress and should be cleared to face hitters soon.
Skubal (elbow) is slated to throw a bullpen session Monday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Skubal will throw off a mound for the second time since he had surgery May 6 to remove a loose body from his left elbow. The left-hander appears on pace to rejoin the Tigers rotation sometime in June if all continues to go well, though he still has numerous boxes he needs to check. Skubal posted a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45:6 K:BB over 43.1 innings covering seven starts before getting hurt.
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Tigers' Tarik Skubal: Resumes playing catch
Rotowire
Skubal (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Skubal is barely more than a week removed from surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, so it's remarkable that he's already throwing. The procedure was performed with a nanoneedle, which significantly reduced post-surgical swelling in the joint and could shorten the timeline for Skubal's return from two-plus months to just six weeks if all goes well. A return date for the two-time AL Cy Young winner should come into focus in the coming weeks as he ramps up his throwing progression.
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