Tarik Skubal’s final hurdle for Tigers could be rehab start at West Michigan

Detroit — Tarik Skubal has been through this before.

When he was coming back from flexor tendon surgery in 2023, he made two rehab starts with High-A West Michigan. One of those starts came against the Dayton Dragons, the same team he will face Sunday in what may be his one and only rehab start this year.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “I have some history with them (smiles). I pitched two innings and they swung at every pitch. I got through in like eight pitches and I was like, ‘Guys, this does nothing for anybody involved.’”

The reason Skubal is making the start in Grand Rapids is because the weather forecast for both Triple- A Toledo in Iowa and for Double-A Erie in Richmond, Virginia, is bad.

“I’m excited I get to go compete again,” Skubal said. “It’s been about a month or so and when you don’t get to play, it sucks. I’m excited to compete. I don’t really care about what level it’s at. Ideally, it would be Triple A, but with the weather there, it doesn’t seem like it’d be smart to send me there to potentially not throw.”

More: Wojo: Could streaky Tigers shake up Skubal Sweepstakes?

It’s quite remarkable, actually, that Skubal is at this point this quickly. He had a loose body in his elbow removed by a relatively new arthroscopic procedure using a smaller, less invasive needle on May 6.

Through a couple of live bullpen sessions, he’s built himself to four innings and 60-plus pitches. The goal for Sunday will be five innings, or at least five ups, and between 75-80 pitches.

If that goes well and he recovers well, the Tigers could activate him for the series in Cleveland that starts June 12.

“We were thinking it was going to be three months to recover and when we learned it could be four to six weeks, it felt like a very positive thing,” Skubal said. “To be back and competing again right now is special. Not just for me but for the future of guys who have this injury.”

It’s a positive thing for the Tigers, too, who within a couple of weeks could get Skubal, Justin Verlander (hip) and Casey Mize (groin) back off the injured list. Verlander and Mize will throw bullpens Saturday at Comerica Park.

Manager AJ Hinch said a decision will be made on whether to activate Verlander after that session. He said Mize will need to make at least one rehab start.

Reliever Kenley Jansen (pelvic inflammation) threw a bullpen Friday. He will be eligible to return on June 12, as well. Hinch indicated Jansen also will make a rehab appearance before being cleared.

“It gives us a performance boost more than anything,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Our guys have been grinding quite a bit. I don’t know how to accurately describe that energy. But there’s a ton of energy when you get Gleyber (Torres) and Carp (Kerry Carpenter) back. And these guys are watching those pitchers do their work to get back.

“It’s not anything against the guys we have. We have to try to win tonight’s game without those (pitchers). There’s a lot going on behind the scenes to get ready to play the game. But the lineup looks at little better.”

It was a compelling juxtaposition Friday afternoon, Skubal addressing the media flanked by the empty lockers of Mize and Verlander along the same back wall of the clubhouse.

“Coming off a really good series in Tampa,” he said. “Flipping the script on that road trip gave everyone in the room a ton of confidence. And now, obviously, we got some help coming back. And frankly, there needs to be a sense of urgency with this group if we want to make a push to be in it for the rest of the year.”

It goes without saying, of course, that making a push likely will be the only thing that keeps Skubal, a free agent in the offseason, off the trade block in late July and early August.

“We’ve dug ourselves a hole and it’s got to be up to us to get ourselves out of it,” he said. “Getting some talent back is going to help. But until we get that talent back, we’ve got to win tonight’s game. That should be the focus. It shouldn’t be when are we going to get this wall back, it should be let’s win today and we’ll get those guys back when we get them.”

Mariners at Tigers

First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Comerica Park, Detroit

TV/radio: Detroit Sports Net, 97.1/107.9 FM

Scouting report

▶ RHP Bryce Miller (1-0, 1.71), Mariners: The start of his season was delayed by a left oblique strain, but he’s wasted no time getting back in a groove. In four games (three starts), he’s allowed four earned runs with 20 strikeouts and four walks in 21 innings, while holding hitters to a .200 average, .320 slug and a 25% hard-hit rate. His four-seam fastball has ticked up, from 94.8 mph on average last season to 96.7. He’s splitter is also 2 mph firmer. And in case that’s not enough, he mixes sliders, cutters, sweepers (to righties) and knuckle-curves (to lefties).  

▶ RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 3.69), Tigers: He’s coming off a gem against the White Sox (six, two-hit, shutout innings in 65 pitches). His improvement against left-handed hitters has taken his game up a level. In his career, lefties have a .449 slug and .771 OPS against him. This season, he’s neutralized them, .378 slug, .644 OPS. Lefties are 18 for 105 (.171) against his four-seam, changeup and slider combo.

Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky