Tigers Young Pitcher Undergoes Surgery; 2023 in Question

He was already ruled out for the rest of the season, but now, promising youngster Tarik Skubal has officially gone under the knife, and now his 2023 season could be in doubt. As noted by Kevin Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, these developments are "another massive blow to the organization’s rebuild."

Tarik Skubal underwent successful flexor tendon surgery today in LA, A.J. Hinch said. Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure. No timetable for his return yet.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) August 17, 2022

Skubal underwent successful flexor tendon surgery today, and there's no timetable for his return.

The typical recovery time for a procedure of this nature is about 9 months at best, so if all goes well he could return sometime mid-2023.

Manager AJ Hinch said that the operation was initially "exploratory" in nature, as Skubal had a recurrence of pain recently during his throwing program.

"Dr. ElAttrache went in and saw exactly what was ailing Tarik. It was successful, and that's the extent of the update that I know. He didn't have that upon exam, so to speak, and that's why we didn't really pinpoint exactly what it was. We have resolution now."

Unfortunately, that "resolution" leaves the Tigers without one of their top young starters for a huge chunk of next season.