Tarik Skubal's unfair Tigers rehab outing could quite literally change the future of MLB

On Sunday, Tarik Skubal threw his first rehab start in High-A West Michigan and, to no one's surprise, made the poor teenagers on the opposing Daytona Tortugas look silly through five innings. He pitched five scoreless innings and struck out six batters — and he only needed 54 pitches to do it.

After a lot of catastrophizing and a projected 2-3 month timeline to return following his surgery to remove loose bodies, Skubal was back and pitching at full power five weeks after he went onto the IL — and he might be back with the Tigers in a matter of days. AJ Hinch was hopeful that it would a one-start stint for him.

Surgery to remove loose bodies is becoming more and more common in baseball, but if the specific NanoNeedle procedure Skubal received can expedite recoveries across the board, it could be monumental for the game.

Jeff Passan, when marveling at how little time Skubal has needed to recover since surgery, added a caveat: "Maybe Skubal is just that guy."

Tigers fans will tell you with confidence that Skubal is That Guy, but we'll also allow that two things can be true at the same time. Skubal can be an absolute beast and other pitchers can benefit from this development too.

Tarik Skubal's Tigers rehab assignment could be over after just one start

Hunter Greene, Edwin Díaz, and Blake Snell are just a few of the pitchers who have undergone the same surgery as Skubal this year, but Snell is the only one who's also received the NanoNeedle procedure.

Just like Skubal, he's made almost unreal progress since surgery. Snell was playing catch on June 5, just two and a half weeks after the arthroscopy. Snell's ultimate timeline will be interesting to compare to Skubal's when all is said and done, but reviews for the NanoNeedle already look pretty glowing.

If Skubal is done with rehab after just one start, he could make his return to the major league mound as early as Friday, June 12 against the Guardians.

A recovery that quick is ridiculous. It's unheard of. And yet, Skubal's given zero reason for his team or for fans to worry about whether or not he's truly ready. What makes it all better is the fact that the Tigers are 5-1 in June and are finally starting to look like themselves again. Having Skubal back could be the final push they need.

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