Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Set for Surgery: Fantasy Baseball Breakdown

We just went over some fantasy baseball injury news, but have another massive injury that was just revealed that we need to discuss here.

Let's discuss the injury to Detroit Tigers starting pitcher superstar Tarik Skubal.

Fantasy baseball injury news can be found all season on FantasySP.

The Injury and Timeline

Skubal will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. 

Skubal started feeling some forearm tightness in his last start, and then had more issues on Sunday. He underwent tests and it revealed the loose bodies.

Skubal is set to meet with doctors next and set up a procedure to clean up his arm. There is no exact timetable for his return at this point.

This kind of injury is usually a 2-3 month injury. That would mean Skubal is back before the end of the regular season, but could also mean he's out for good if the Tigers aren't in the postseason hunt by August or September, or if he experiences any setbacks.

It creates a lot of questions surrounding his return, so we'll have to wait and see what the final diagnosis is with Skubal before making any final judgments.

Skubal's Stats

He is one of the top pitchers in the MLB today, and many regard him as the top starting pitcher. So his absence is a blow to both the Tigers and fantasy baseball owners.

In seven starts so far this season, Skubal is 3-2 with a 2.70 earned run average. That's actually regression from the past two seasons, when he's combined for a 31-10 record and 2.30 ERA over 387 1/3 innings.

Along with his 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA this season, Skubal has struck out 45 batters over 43 1/3 innings. The 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings figure is lower than his 10.7 and 11.1 marks he's posted the past two seasons, but is still really good, and helped him to be a high-level pitcher to this point of the season.

He has allowed 14 runs so far, with 13 being earned. Skubal has surrendered 35 hits and just six walks. His 0.95 WHIP is fantastic, even if it was a bit lower than the marks he posted the past two seasons.

So while Skubal was not pitching as well as he had in the past, he was still delivering good marks, both for the Tigers and his fantasy owners.

Real-World and Fantasy Outlooks

Speaking of how he was perceived as a real-world player and fantasy asset, let's dive more into that here. Let's start with fantasy, since that's what we specialize in here. 

He was a first-round pick in most fantasy baseball leagues, so even if he wasn't living up to that level of pick so far, it's far better than him missing time. With him now out, Skubal is going to go down as a fantasy draft bust in 2026. If he isn't able to return this season, your fantasy squad is going to struggle to finish as high as it could have with him leading your fantasy rotation.

Skubal is too good to drop, but with him missing multiple months, he could be droppable in some leagues. Absolutely do not drop Skubal until we know how long for sure he is out.

Stash him on your bench if you can, or on an IR spot. You could also look into trading him, if you are inclined to drop him, or need to.

Sure, you won't get a great return for Skubal, but the return is likely to be better than what you could find on the waiver wire. At least throw his name on the block before completely dropping him, just to see the offers that trickle in.

Fantasy owners who can handle stashing him for multiple months should take on that challenge for sure because of his high pedigree. He could be a massive asset if he's able to return late in the season, which will be the fantasy playoffs.

If he's let go in your league, add him back as he nears a return. I'm taking a couple weeks before he returns, not a couple days before. He's a good enough fantasy asset to stash for a couple weeks, even if it hurts you in the short term.

As for the real world, the Tigers are going to be hurting without their ace. The team is still talented enough to win the AL Central without him, but making a postseason push without Skubal seems like a daunting task too big to overcome.

For now, the Tigers have three healthy and locked-in starting pitchers, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty and Keider Montero. Jackson Jobe, Troy Melton, Casey Mize, Reese Olson and Justin Verlander are other starting pitchers on the injured list, so depth at SP is running thin in Detroit, especially without Skubal around now.

Ty Madden is getting recalled to the big leagues to replace Skubal's roster spot, and the Tigers will continue to add and rotate starting pitchers to get through the season now. Getting some of the injured SPs back will help, so hopefully a few of them can return soon.

We'll keep tabs on the Tigers' pitchers and let you know who to possibly add while Skubal is missing time.

Skubal's absence is a blow in the real-world and in fantasy baseball. The Tigers will piece things together while he's out, and there will be fantasy baseball value to take advantage of, and we'll help you figure out the best options, so keep checking back to FantasySP for coverage!