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Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to start Saturday's game against Guardians
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- Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to start Saturday's game against Guardians
The Detroit Tigers are getting their ace back.
Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal will start against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Saturday, June 13, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed on Thursday. Skubal last pitched in the majors on April 29 before missing time with a loose body in his left elbow.
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He underwent a procedure on May 6 to remove a bone chip in his elbow, an arthroscopic procedure that usually takes pitchers 2-3 months to recover from. However, Skubal underwent a relatively new NanoNeedle procedure from renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache that limited the invasiveness of the surgery.
That allowed Skubal to recover much faster than anticipated, with the ace fully ready to start less than six weeks out from surgery.
"Everyone will be really excited," Hinch said. "I don't know how long it'll be, I don't know if it'll be a normal start or abbreviated, but just getting him back into the routine and into the fold is a tremendous move for this team and this rotation."
The back-to-back defending American League Cy Young Award winner looked much like himself in a June 7 rehab start in High-A West Michigan. As anticipated, the Tigers have decided that was the only rehab start Skubal will need before returning.
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Skubal is 3-2 on the season and pitched to a 2.70 ERA over 43⅓ innings this season before going down with his injury. And with the Tigers 6-2 in June entering Thursday's game, the addition of Skubal could be massive as the Tigers try to climb back into the AL wild card race.
"We're adding the best pitcher in baseball back into the rotation," Hinch said. "We certainly expect to win every game that he starts, and it doesn't put any more pressure on him because I think he owns that from the minute he walks in this building. But it's pretty incredible knowing what he's gone through."
Skubal's return against Cleveland could bring back many memories for Tigers fans, and not all of them happy, with the Guardians getting the best of Skubal in some late-season and postseason games. But as Skubal told reporters earlier this week, he plans on treating Saturday like any other start.
"I'm sure if I wanted it to mean something more, I could try to make it something more ... but I'm going to go out and compete and be who I am," he said.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will officially return on Saturday
