Scott Boras Bullish on Tarik Skubal Return as Tigers Ace Throws Bullpen Two Weeks After Surgery
Tarik Skubal had elbow surgery on May 6. He was throwing a bullpen at Comerica Park less than two weeks later. Scott Boras is telling anyone who will listen that his client is going to be back faster than people think.
“We think that’s going to be a much shorter period [of rehabilitation],” Boras said. “He’ll be able to return to performance at just a much, much earlier stage.”
That’s the agent speak version of “you’re going to see Skubal back on a mound in June.” If Boras is telling people the timeline is short, the timeline is short.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and was officially classified as arthroscopic. ElAttrache removed one loose body, reportedly a bone chip, from Skubal’s left elbow. The procedure was minimally invasive and, more importantly, found no other structural damage in the elbow. No torn ligaments. No UCL concerns. Just a chip that had been causing issues.
That’s the best possible diagnosis a pitcher can get from elbow surgery. Skubal’s progression bears that out. He was playing catch within days. He threw a bullpen at Comerica Park. The Tigers transferred his rehab from their Lakeland spring training complex to Detroit so he can work more closely with pitching coach Chris Fetter.
The remaining steps are not minor. Skubal still has to build intensity, increase pitch count, face hitters, possibly go through a minor league rehab assignment, and prove he can recover between starts. The bone chip is out. The arm has to remember how to be an ace.
If the timeline holds, Skubal is back in the Detroit rotation in June. That changes everything for the Tigers. They were in third place in the AL Central before the injury and would have been the favorite to win the division if Skubal stayed healthy. Without him, they were treading water. With him, they’re a playoff threat again.
The 2024 Cy Young winner has been the best pitcher in the American League for two straight years. When healthy, he’s the kind of arm you build a postseason rotation around. He throws 99 with a wipeout slider and a changeup that hitters can’t square up. He’s the entire ceiling for Detroit’s pitching staff.
The bigger question is what this means for Skubal’s contract situation. He’s headed for free agency after 2026 if the Tigers don’t extend him, and Boras is already laying the groundwork for what should be one of the biggest pitching contracts in baseball history. A clean return from this surgery, with no lingering effects, sets up a winter where Skubal could be the most coveted free agent on the market.
The Tigers know this. They’ve been trying to lock him up. Skubal and Boras have been content to bet on themselves. The fastball is back. The elbow is cleaned out. Detroit has roughly six months to convince him to stay or watch him hit the open market.
For now, the focus is on June. Get back on the mound. Prove the elbow is fine. Win some games. Detroit needs all of that to happen, and if Boras is to be believed, all of it is right around the corner.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
