A.J. Hinch Shuts Down Tarik Skubal Return Date Speculation
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The Detroit Tigers will take any good news they can get at the moment, amid a horrible month that's pushed them to the bottom of the AL Central standings. One of the best pieces of news the team got as of late was centered around back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
Skubal's left elbow surgery went well enough that the ace is already starting to throw the baseball with little to no discomfort. Since Skubal went on the injured list, Detroit has fallen from grace, and getting him back now would be the best-case scenario.
Amid his speedy recovery so far, Under the Knife's Will Carroll speculated that the Tigers ace could return to Detroit as early as next week. While that news is super encouraging to hear for Tigers fans, manager A.J. Hinch got word and shed some light on the situation.
Skubal Will Need a Rehab Start
Ahead of the third game of the four-game series against their division rivals, the Cleveland Guardians, Hinch spoke to reporters, providing updates on the situation. Per Jason Beck, MLB.com's Tigers beat reporter, Hinch went on record to shut down the claim made by Carroll.
“That’s not true,” Hinch said. “That’s ridiculous.”
While Skubal is moving quickly in his recovery, probably trying to show other MLB franchises, including the Tigers, that he's still the same pitcher with the same drive he was before hitting the injured list. Safe to say, Skubal's timeline to return is still not set, as a rehab assignment will be needed.
"A lot of things could happen... I don't have it, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later," Skubal said when asked if he could pinpoint a day for his return.
It's not like Hinch and the Tigers wouldn't want him to come back sooner rather than later, but when you possess the best pitcher in the world, getting him healthy is the only priority right now. Hinch believes the current roster of healthy players is good enough to win some games; they've just caught some horrible luck since the Skubal injury news.
As of right now, Skubal will likely be back on the mound for the Tigers at some point before the trade deadline. Which means Detroit could be getting their ace, Troy Melton, Justin Verlander, and a handful of bullpen arms back all at the same time, hopefully turning the season around.
Whether or not Detroit deals Skubal at or before the deadline remains unknown as well.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.