Why Tigers scratched Tarik Skubal from Monday night start vs. Red Sox originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Detroit Tigers are 18-17 in the regular season, tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central this season.
Kevin McGonigle and Tarik Skubal have been the highlights of the season, but things took a turn for the worse ahead of Monday night’s start against the Boston Red Sox.
According to The New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Tigers have scratched Tarik Skubal, and their Cy Young ace will not pitch on Monday night as normal. But why is he not starting for the Tigers?
Why Tarik Skubal isn’t starting for Tigers tonight
“Tarik Skubal is being scratched tonight,” Heyman reports. “But hope and belief is he will be OK. Seen as a precautionary move.”
While the exact reasons for Skubal being scratched weren’t reported by Heyman, this does at least look to be not the worst news possible.
So far this season, Skubal has a 2.70 ERA with 45 strikeouts and a 3-2 record across seven starts and 43.5 innings pitched.
Skubal not making this start is very concerning, but this report from Heyman does make this seem not a long-term issue, and only something the Tigers are trying to manage.
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During his last outing against the Atlanta Braves, Skubal took off his glove on the mound, called over to the dugout, and talked with trainers before staying in the game. Sleeper MLB shared the clip on Twitter/x, which showed the concerning interaction.
Heart stopped beating when I saw Tarik Skubal take his glove off
He did stay in the game pic.twitter.com/9x4MyPxm0W
— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) April 30, 2026
It was a concerning scene, but he stayed out there and finished his outing, closing out the seventh inning despite this incident coming with no outs. But it was a worrisome scene, and might be why he’s being scratched from tonight’s start against the Red Sox.
The exact reason why Skubal isn’t starting tonight’s game against the Red Sox isn’t known, but this report from Heyman does at least make things less panic-inducing, with the reporting making it seem more of a precaution than an actual issue.
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