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Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the first inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on August 31, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Detroit Tigers have not had the kind of start to the 2026 MLB season that many expected to see from them.

Now that the team is 38 games into their season, they hold an 18-20 record. After being considered a potential World Series threat coming into the season, the results have been disappointing.

Unfortunately, the team suffered some devastating news recently. Tarik Skubal, the Tigers’ superstar ace pitcher, went down with an elbow injury. He was expected to miss at least a couple of months due to an injury.

With that being said, a new update has been shared by MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post that has given Detroit fans a reason to be excited.

“Tarik Skubal elbow surgery was such a success he could start working out within days, and two months is even seen as a conservative estimate for the 2-time Cy Young winner to return,” Heyman wrote on X.

“4 to 6 weeks possible. One relatively small loose body was removed.”

Latest Tarik Skubal News Gives the Tigers a Fighting Chance

If the original expectation had been the true situation, the Tigers’ chances of making a playoff run would have been severely impacted.

Skubal is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. He is integral to Detroit having any shot at being a World Series caliber baseball team. Losing him for two months would have had the potential of digging the Tigers too big of a hole to come back from.

This new update gives Detroit a fighting chance.

Should Skubal be able to make his return to the mound within the next four to six weeks, the Tigers would have a much better chance. It’s still not a guarantee that he will be back that quickly, but it’s a major reason for optimism in Detroit.

A Closer Look at Tarik Skubal’s Numbers

So far this season for the Tigers, Skubal has made seven starts. He has compiled a 3-2 record to go along with a 2.70 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a 7.5 K/BB ratio, and 43.1 innings pitched.

Last season in Detroit, he compiled a 13-6 record in 31 starts, while also producing a 2.21 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, a 7.3 K/BB ratio, and 195.1 innings of work completed.

Over the last couple of years, trade rumors have started coming out about Skubal. While the Tigers have been unwilling to deal him to this point in time, that could change. Detroit needs to prove that it can win at a high level or risk losing its ace.

Hopefully, this new update ends up proving to be true. Skubal could be back much sooner than expected.