Insane Tarik Skubal injury update has Tigers fans in disbelief

Tarik Skubal is not back. Not yet. But the latest update on the Detroit Tigers ace is still enough to make fans do a double take.

Less than two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on May 6 to remove loose bodies — reportedly a bone chip — from his left elbow, Skubal has already progressed from playing catch to throwing a bullpen session at Comerica Park.

The Tigers transferred his rehab from their spring training complex in Lakeland, Fla., to Detroit on Monday, allowing him to work more closely with pitching coach Chris Fetter as he continues his throwing progression.

For a pitcher who just had elbow surgery, that is... well, stunning.

Manager A.J. Hinch has been careful not to attach a firm timetable to Skubal’s return, and for good reason. The Tigers are not going to rush the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner, especially with his injury history and free agency looming after the season. Any setback would be disastrous — for Skubal, for Detroit’s playoff hopes and for the pitcher’s chance to pursue a record-setting contract this winter.

Tigers get shockingly encouraging Tarik Skubal update as he returns to Detroit after elbow surgery

But the fact that Skubal is already throwing bullpens at all is remarkable. Hinch previously said Skubal had been playing catch daily and that the left-hander felt “super excited” about how normal the ball felt coming out of his hand. That alone was encouraging. Now, the progression has moved to a mound.

The key context is the type of procedure Skubal underwent. Skubal had a Nanoscope procedure, a less invasive method that uses a smaller incision than traditional arthroscopic surgery. The hope was that it would allow him to resume activity sooner, and so far, that appears to be exactly what is happening.

That does not mean Skubal is days away from rejoining the rotation. A “touch-and-feel” bullpen is still an early step, not a final checkpoint. He still has to build intensity, increase volume, face hitters, possibly go through a rehab assignment and prove he can recover between outings.

Still, this is the kind of update Tigers fans desperately needed. Detroit has been battered by injuries and entered Monday at 20-25, but the American League remains wide open enough that the Tigers are not buried. If they can survive long enough for Skubal and others to return, the wild-card race — and maybe even the AL Central — remains within reach.

For now, the Tigers still have to be patient. But Skubal throwing off a mound at Comerica Park this soon after elbow surgery is the first real reason to believe this nightmare absence might not last as long as everyone feared.