Tigers Notes: Skubal, Verlander, Mize, Carpenter, Torres, Baez

Tarik Skubal is on the injured list while recovering from surgery earlier in the month to remove a loose body from his elbow. He has started throwing and completed a simulated game with 40 pitches over three innings. Another simulated game is planned for Monday. The Tigers are avoiding specific return timelines because elbow loose-body surgery typically requires about three months or longer, though the NanoNeedle procedure may reduce swelling, pain, and recovery time. Skubal is the first MLB player to undergo this type of surgery, so there is no established track record. His status is critical because he is a top pitcher and a potential free agent, and the Tigers have fallen sharply since his May 4 surgery announcement.

"Left-hander Tarik Skubal is on the injured list but is in the spotlight regardless. He is working his way back from surgery earlier this month to remove a loose body from his elbow. He has already begun throwing. On Tuesday, he threw 40 pitches over three innings in a sim game. He'll throw another sim game on Monday, per Chris McCosky of Detroit News."

"The Tigers are staying away from specific timelines with Skubal, which is understandable. A surgery for loose bodies in a pitcher's elbow would normally require an absence of three months or so, if not longer. It's possible Skubal can return quicker but he's in uncharted waters. His procedure was performed with a device called a NanoNeedle, which is smaller than a traditional arthroscope. A smaller device means a smaller incision and, hopefully, less swelling, pain and recovery time."

"It all sounds nice but Skubal is the first MLB player to have surgery with the device, so there's no track record here. But with Skubal already throwing a few innings, perhaps it's possible he's back on a big league mound sooner than would normally be expected. Even returning in July would be quicker than most other surgeries for loose bodies but June doesn't feel totally out of the question at this point, though it's worth reiterating that no one really knows for sure how this will play out."

"As he goes through the next stages of his recovery, he will be closely watched since the ramifications of his status are huge. It's well known that Skubal is one of the best pitchers alive. He won the American League Cy Young in each of the past two seasons, with an ERA barely over 2.00 in each of those campaigns. He is also an impending free agent and the Tigers are floundering without him."

Read at MLB Trade Rumors