Well, friends, we certainly don’t need to talk about last night’s game against the Red Sox, but we also don’t have much good news to share in today’s news brief either. The Tigers reported on Monday that Tarik Skubal would be headed to the IL and would undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. As diagnoses go, it could be worse (knock on wood). Skubal is slated to return as early as 2-3 months, provided everything goes well with the surgery and his rehab.
This, of course, brings up a lot
of questions for the Tigers, and for baseball as well. The Tigers will have to find a way to muddle through the next stretch with limited pitching options (Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, and others are all sidelined as well). But in the bigger picture, this could also mean that the trade deadline market for pitching just got a lot more interesting, as well as the free agent market for the offseason, and how this could impact Skubal’s payday.
A lot remains to be seen, but we get into some expert opinions in today’s links, plus a lot more news tidbits from around baseball, so let’s just jump into it.
Detroit Tigers News
- Mark Feinsand tries to assess how Tarik Skubal’s surgery will impact the Tigers, as well as Skubal’s own upcoming free agency. Feinsand looks at some potential targets the Tigers might seek out if homegrown talent like Troy Melton can’t fill the gap, but he noted that a lot of quality pitchers might not be available for trade until June. In terms of Skubal’s free agency, many execs say it will depend on if Skubal pitches again this season. Some of the names Feinsand references are once-greats who faded away, so hopefully that’s not what we see from Skubal following his return.
- Ben Clemens looks at how an unexpected tight AL race will just prove harder for the Tigers now that they’ve lost Skubal.
- Will the Tigers once again need to embrace the pitching chaos of 2024?
- Is the Skubal injury going to lead to a much more active trade deadline?
- Here are AJ Hinch’s comments after Skubal was placed on the IL.
- Kevin McGonigle gets the nod from MLB dot com as the top AL rookie of the season (so far). Jared Greenspan wrote of McGonigle:
McGonigle crashed his way onto the Tigers’ Opening Day roster as the club’s starting shortstop, and he sure has validated Detroit’s aggressive decision. The 21-year-old began his career with a four-hit game, becoming only the 21st Major Leaguer since 1900 with a four-hit game in their MLB debut. McGonigle slashed .328/.426/.509 with a .935 OPS in April, using a combination of elite bat-to-ball skills and plus power to become the Tigers’ most productive hitter. McGonigle is the seventh Tiger to win Rookie of the Month, and the first since teammate Colt Keith in July 2024.
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MLB News
- How did Ildemaro Vargas suddenly turn into a hitting machine?
- A look at the Yankees’ decision to option a rehabbed Anthony Volpe right back to Triple-A.
- The Braves just had to send Ronald Acuña Jr to the IL.
- Still, the question persists: is the NL East race already decided?
- The first MVP poll of the season has a lot of familiar names, but also some fun surprises.
- George Springer has made his return to the Blue Jays.
- The ABS system is heading to college baseball, with some minor changes.
- Could we see the first hitting Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera did it in 2012?
- Jackson Olson, the star of the Savannah Bananas, is opening up about the mental health issues that took him out of play, and how happy he is to be back.
- Could Drake Baldwin help raise the bar for catcher salaries? ($)
- A man was fatally stabbed outside the Cardinals’ stadium.
- Pirates pitcher Chris Devenski was suspended for two games for intentionally throwing at Reds rookie Sal Stewart.
- Hitters get candid about which pitchers the consider their nemesis. ($)
- Shohei Ohtani once again won’t hit in a game where he is the starting pitcher. ($)
- This sounds like a cool event for Red Sox fans. At least they have one thing to look forward to this season.
- This is one way to appreciate a rainy game.
- The Yankees have said farewell to one of their all-time great broadcasters.
