How much time will Skubal miss? A neutral team doctor gives his estimate
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DETROIT -- The biggest question surrounding Tarik Skubal right now is no longer where he might go in free agency next offseason, or whether the Tigers would trade him at the Deadline if they’re out of the AL Central race. It’s now: How much time will he miss while recovering from Wednesday’s surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow?
Much like the Hot Stove questions surrounding Skubal, this one doesn’t have a definitive answer either. The Tigers have not announced anything on Skubal since the surgery, and they did not give a timetable for his recovery beforehand. They should have more information on Friday prior to their series opener in Kansas City.
Part of the mystery is the nature of arthroscopic surgery and loose bodies. Unlike a UCL reconstruction surgery, there’s a wider range of potential actions, according to Dr. Josh Dines from the Hospital for Special Surgery.
“You’re not always treating the same pathology,” said Dr. Dines, who is not involved with Skubal’s case but has worked as a team doctor for the Mets and Dodgers. “You might be repairing things, or you might be trying to stimulate growth. Others are a cleanup; you’re not trying to get anything to heal.
“With an elbow scope, there’s a bunch of different things that you’re doing. Some people are back in less than two months. Others are five months.”
By all indications, Skubal’s surgery falls in the shorter end, a cleanup of loose bodies rather than a repair. In the past, arthroscopic surgeries could reveal more damage than previously indicated on exams, but Dines said such surprises are rare nowadays.
“Our imaging studies have gotten much better,” he said. “Previously, that was probably more of an issue.”
The first step in recovery is to allow the incisions – usually about a centimeter in size – to heal. Additional time would be needed if any repair was done, but for a cleanup surgery, the buildup can begin fairly quickly.
“I typically go slow for a week, week and a half, and then you get the motion [introduced],” Dr. Dines said.
Given what we know, Dr. Dines said, the typical timetable of 2-3 months “seems very reasonable.”