Tarik Skubal's surgery may have started a trend after Dodgers' announcement

Leave it to a future Dodger to give their current ace some advice. I kid, of course, but Detroit Tigers two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal's NanoScope surgery is starting to make the rounds. Skubal was initially expected to miss 2-3 months thanks to loose bodies in his elbow. Thanks to Dr. Neil ElAttrache, Skubal should be back about a month sooner.

The same can be said of Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell, who underwent the exact same surgery as Skubal for the loose bodies in his elbow on Tuesday.

Following the scope procedure to remove loose bodies, a pitcher basically has to start from scratch, building up the strength in their elbow along the way. That's why the recovery time is typically 2-3 months. However, thanks to the NanoScope, pitchers are able to avoid the intense swelling and bleeding that can come with the old procedure. The NanoScope has a much smaller needle.

“I went through all of that with them,” ElAttrache said. “I showed them the scope and showed them where I would be able to go, and if we were using the standard size scope, the differences I would have to do. They saw that it would be much safer, number one, and it would cause a lot less invasion. … When you see it and you show them where you’re going to go, they get it immediately. It’s very obvious what to do.”

Snell and the Dodgers have Skubal to thank for being the guinea pig in ElAttrache's surgery. If the best pitcher in baseball is willing to go under the knife to save a month of playing time, then why shouldn't Snell? Given how injured the Dodgers rotation is so far this season — they're already missing Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow, among others — getting a month back of Snell could be the difference between winning the NL West and getting a Wild Card spot.

Enough about the Dodgers: When will Tarik Skubal return for the Tigers?

Much like there was once Tommy John surgery named after, you guessed it, Tommy John, one could argue Skubal deserves naming rights for his scope. It'd benefit ElAttrache to do so, as the procedure would be far more popular as a result.

But what'll really put the NanoScope surgery on the map is not just scopes for Skubal and Snell, but their success or failure after the fact. If Skubal is able to return shortly — and he threw at Comerica Park early this week — then his scope could become the new norm in Major League Baseball.

If, like some fans and pundits have suggested, it turns out the Tigers and Scott Boras are rushing Skubal back for an ulterior motive, then Snell will suffer the same fate. For now, his expected return date is mid-to-late June.

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