Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has started light throwing just two weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, the report says. The procedure used a NanoScope tool, and Skubal is believed to be the first major-league pitcher to have this kind of surgery, per the report.
Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, told the “Baseball Tonight” podcast that the thinner instrument used by Dr. Neal ElAttrache — dubbed the “Skubal Scope” by Boras — should cut down on the invasiveness of the operation. Boras said the approach means Skubal will need less recovery time and substantially less time to rebuild to game readiness, according to the report.
Arthroscopy to remove loose bodies or a bone chip in a pitcher’s elbow has typically required two to three months of recovery and rehabilitation, the report notes. Still, there is hope inside the Tigers clubhouse that Skubal could return in about a month, which would be a quicker timeline than usual, per the report.
The potential acceleration in Skubal’s recovery would be meaningful for a Detroit club dealing with an early-season rash of injuries. The team has lost eight of its last nine games and sits fourth in the AL Central, the report says.
For Skubal, the faster return could affect his looming free agency. The 29-year-old left-hander will be eligible for free agency this fall and is expected to attract substantial offers, perhaps even challenging the record for a starting pitcher set by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per the report. Executives from other teams told the report they will closely watch Skubal’s progress to determine whether this procedure might benefit other pitchers with similar issues.
