Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Sidelined by Elbow Surgery, No Return Timetable

Tigers lose Tarik Skubal for months after elbow surgery

Two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is headed for elbow surgery after a flare-up Sunday, putting him out until midseason at earliest.

The Tigers lose their ace to surgery as Skubal, 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA, faces a 2-3 month recovery after elbow loose body removal...

The Detroit Tigers confirmed on Monday that two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will have arthroscopic elbow surgery to “remove loose bodies.”

The decision followed a flare-up in his elbow on Sunday. Both the Tigers and the 29-year-old left-hander declined to set a return date, though injuries of this type usually mean 2 to 3 months out.

Skubal was scratched from his Monday start against Boston and placed on the injured list, five days after an injury scare in Atlanta last Wednesday.  

Tigers place LHP Tarik Skubal on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow. pic.twitter.com/cKtyCmyc0V

— MLB (@MLB) May 4, 2026

He shook his left arm and grabbed at his forearm during that Braves outing. Skubal had been lining up for his next start but had a setback during work on Sunday.

“I thought I was progressing in a very positive manner,” Skubal said. “Yesterday's catch play just didn't really go great, which led to getting scans and getting the information.”

Skubal secured a record $32 million in arbitration to pitch for the Tigers this season and is set to hit free agency once the campaign ends.

“This is something I've kind of been dealing with,“ Skubal said. “But then again, it was progressing in a positive manner, so I wasn't very concerned about it.”

There’s no ligament damage, and Skubal is expected to return to the mound later this season.

“From my understanding, you just go take (the loose bodies) out,” Skubal said. “I'm going to come back and be the same guy. I'm not really too worried about that.”

Skubal is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 43.3 innings this year. The Tigers sit tied with Cleveland atop the AL Central at 18-17.

Tarik Skubal reaches 10 Ks for the first time this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/swZ5RRjmBM

— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026

Skubal underwent Tommy John surgery and sat out the 2017 college season, then had left forearm tendon surgery in August 2022 that sidelined him for 11 months.

Since returning, he’s posted a 41-15 record with a 2.41 ERA across 511 innings in 84 starts. Skubal led the AL in wins, strikeouts, and ERA in 2024, completing the pitching Triple Crown.