Just one month after surgery, Skubal threw five scoreless innings in a rehab start

Today, while Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers took on the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park for the finale of their AL Division Series rematch, the most iconic Tiger of that series — and the player most responsible for the team's summer resurgence into the postseason race — was throwing on the opposite end of Michigan.

Tarik Skubal started a rehab assignment for High-A West Michigan, tossing five shutout innings with six strikeouts. This puts him on track to rejoin the Tigers' starting rotation around next weekend, when they visit the Cleveland Guardians for a critical AL Central showdown that will heavily impact the team's chances of re-entering the division race.

That outing proved Skubal, just one month and one day after undergoing a nano-knife procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, is ready to reclaim his spot as one of baseball's toughest pitchers.

Over the past two weeks, Skubal gradually built up his workload through simulated games. Today, he needed only eight pitches — all strikes — to retire the Dayton Dragons in order in the first inning, including two three-pitch strikeouts. He fanned leadoff man Carlos Sanchez, the Reds' No. 25 prospect, swinging at a 97 mph fastball, then blew a 98 mph heater past top prospect Alfredo Duno. According to Whitecaps broadcaster Dan Hasty, Skubal mixed in his changeup during another 1-2-3 second inning, adding two more strikeouts, while touching 99 mph on several fastballs. In the third, he allowed a single to Victor Acosta with two outs.

The only other runner Skubal put on base came in the fifth, when a ground ball from Jacob Friend was mishandled by shortstop Bryce Rainer, the Tigers' No. 2 prospect, preventing a clean force-out. That infield single forced Skubal to throw a few extra pitches before he finished the inning and then went to the bullpen to reach his target of around 75 pitches.

That was exactly what the Tigers wanted to see.

"For big-league players, some game situations should be routine," said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. "But this is part of the process of getting back into game mode. It's different from sim games. Sim games are partly about rebuilding physical skills, about getting your body back. The mental side, the competitive side, the misreads, the defensive mistakes behind you — you can't simulate those in training. And this isn't spring training."

Although this rehab start allowed Skubal to complete his assignment just a few hours from Detroit, the Tigers had him pitch here rather than at Triple-A Toledo mainly due to weather. The forecast in Grand Rapids was more favorable than in Des Moines, Iowa, where Toledo's road series finale was rained out.

While Hinch hasn't confirmed exactly when Skubal will rejoin the rotation, he mentioned before the rehab start that he hoped this outing would be a one-and-done, enabling Skubal to return directly to the big leagues. Skubal could potentially pitch in Saturday's series opener in Cleveland or later in Sunday's three-game set.

With two other injured Tigers starters, Casey Mize and Justin Verlander, scheduled for rehab starts next Wednesday and Thursday respectively, Detroit's rotation could undergo a major shakeup during and after the Cleveland series, as well as the subsequent series against the Houston Astros. Depending on how the Tigers manage their pitching staff, this ripple effect might also bolster the bullpen with additional quality arms.

"Given where we are and what we have to accomplish over the next few weeks, we don't have room for trial and error or being unprepared," Hinch said. "We have to be ready in every aspect. We need these guys not just to come back, but to come back in good shape."