Tigers Have Issues That Even Skubal's Early Return Can't Solve
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It seems that following the Detroit Tigers at the moment yields two very different narratives. There is lots of positivity to be had in the health updates regarding the rapid recovery of reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal after undergoing elbow surgery. But even that optimism comes with the acknowledgment that the team is in something of a tailspin at the moment.
The Tigers are currently sitting at 20-28, owning a share of the AL Central cellar alongside the Kansas City Royals and 6.5 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians. What's more, they are currently mired in a 2-11 slide, with three games still remaining in a four-game series with those same Guardians.
It goes without saying that Detroit isn't the same team without Skubal, so getting the 29-year-old back on the mound will be a huge boost for the club. But the ace lefty still only gets the call once every five turns and won't offer much help offensively. In other words, he won't solve all of the Tigers' problems.
Tigers Need More Pitching Than Just Skubal
The trickle-down effect of Skubal's return will help solidify the starting rotation, with Framber Valdez, Casey Mize, Keider Montero, and Jack Flaherty all moving into better-suited roles. However, Detroit still needs each of those pitchers to pitch to their potential - something that has not happened to date.
Mize and Montero are both off to solid starts, although Mize recently returned from his own stint on the injured list with a right adductor strain. The same cannot be said for Valdez and Flaherty, though.
Valdez has largely been a disappointment since joining the Tigers as a free agent in the offseason. His 4.58 ERA through 10 starts is roughly a run higher than his 3.66 mark from last season and more than 1.5 runs higher than his 2.91 ERA in 2024. He has been hit hard (28 earned runs and 56 hits in 55 innings) while also struggling with his command at times (21 walks).
Flaherty, who endured a bumpy 2025 campaign, has been even worse. He owns an 0-5 record with a 5.77 ERA through 10 starts, walking 29 batters and allowing 28 earned runs in just 43.2 innings of work. If Justin Verlander (hip) can get off the 60-day injured list and back on the mound by June, it looks like it would be Flaherty's starting spot he would take.
Scoring Runs Remains a Challenge for the Tigers
On the other side of the ball, Detroit's offensive struggles have come as something of a surprise. While the Tigers didn't add any bats this past winter, the organization also didn't lose any significant pieces of a group that finished 11th in runs per game (4.68). Through 48 games this season, they rank 25th in the same category (3.96), one of just six franchises who are averaging less than four runs a game.
Riley Greene (.327/.422/.485) is having a career year and Kevin McGonigle has put himself firmly in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation. Beyond them, however, there's been a lack of reliable, consistent contributors.
Spencer Torkelson looked to have broken through as a bona fide power bat in the middle of the order as part of last season's 31-homer campaign. This year, however, has marked a step back for the 26-year-old, with just six home runs and a .191 batting average to date.
Similarly, Zach McKinstry is batting below .200 despite coming off an All-Star campaign and young hitters like Wenceel Perez, Colt Keith and the injured Parker Meadows have yet to make a significant developmental leap.
Injuries have impacted the lineup as well, as Kerry Carpenter, Javier Báez, Gleyber Torres and Meadows are all currently sidelined.
Generally, if you're struggling to score runs and get opposing hitters out, you aren't going to win many games. That is what the injury-marred Tigers are currently finding out the hard way. The return of Skubal should certainly help matters, but how much can one man really do?
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.