Two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose bone chip from his pitching elbow, Detroit Tigers left-handed ace Tarik Skubal threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Thursday and came away pleased with the results.
“It was a certain velocity I was trying to get to today,” said Skubal, who mixed in his full arsenal. “You have to prove to your body that it’s OK to throw hard again, especially (with) it being 15 days from surgery. Just kind of let your body know and your brain know you don’t have to have a governor, you’re good to go and throw and compete at higher velocity.
“There’s a velocity number I was trying to hit. And I hit it, so it was a good day.”
Skubal’s teammate, Justin Verlander, will throw a bullpen session on Friday, MLB Network reported on Thursday. Out since April 4 with left hip inflammation, the 43-year-old right-hander threw a four-inning simulated game Wednesday, striking out three but allowing three home runs.
As he continues to tweak his mechanics and get back into game shape, Verlander is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day IL on May 31 but still needs to pitch in a rehab start.
Skubal’s outing on Thursday was a multi-inning session designed to simulate the process of sitting down between innings, as in a regular start, then ramping back up and getting the fastball back up near the velocity of an actual game.
“He came into my office right away and was excited,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He probably doesn’t want me to talk like this, but there are little hurdles to clear along the way when you come back from a procedure.”
This weekend in Baltimore, Skubal is slated to throw a between-starts bullpen, then throw another session early next week.
The two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner confirmed he will throw a simulated game or a rehab start before being activated.
“I get it, I want to be back as fast as I can, too,” said Skubal, 29. “What’s going on right now is kind of unprecedented. I don’t know in the history of the game if there has been a surgery 15 days ago and throwing a one-inning hypothetical start. I don’t know if that’s ever really been done before.”
“But it is kind of day by day,” he added. “It is (based on) how I feel and how I bounce back, and tomorrow, how I wake up and how I feel is going to be important.”
