Skubal is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to remove bone chips from his left elbow, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Analysis:
Renowned arm specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache is slated to perform the operation on Skubal, who relayed Monday that he had been battling the elbow issue intermittently since before spring training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Neither Skubal nor the Tigers were willing to offer a timeline for the two-time Cy Young Award winner's return to the rotation, but the initial hope is that he'll be able to return to action in two months. A more precise target date for Skubal's return should come into focus once he's cleared to begin a throwing program a few weeks after the procedure is completed. Though he had seen his velocity drop and his strikeout rate tail off to begin 2026, he'd still been pitching at an ace-like level prior to hitting the shelf, posting a 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45:6 K:BB in 43.1 innings through his first seven starts.
