One of baseball's hottest pitchers may be sidelined for a significant period due to an elbow issue. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is set to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.
Initially, Skubal was scratched from his scheduled Monday-night start against the Boston Red Sox, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting it as a 'precautionary move.' However, the situation escalated when the need for surgery was revealed.
Skubal is now headed to the injured list. While no official timeline has been provided, recovery from this type of procedure typically takes two to three months.
The injury scare occurred last Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, when Skubal shook his pitching arm, grabbed his forearm, and called over catcher Dillon Dingler. The pain flared up again on Sunday night, leading to scans and consultations that revealed loose bodies in his arm.
'From my understanding, you just go take it out,' Skubal told reporters via MLB.com. 'I think length of the rehab is probably just getting your Spring Training buildup up again, getting your volume up. But the procedure itself I think is pretty simple as far as what I've been explained. I think the important thing is getting them taken out, and then you let the incisions heal, let everything else heal up inside, start playing catch again and eventually get back to pitching in the big leagues.'
In Skubal's absence, Tyler Holton will start for the 18-17 Tigers against the 13-21 Red Sox.
