DETROIT -- Two-time defending American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow after a flare-up on Sunday night.
Skubal was scratched from his scheduled start against the Red Sox on Monday night, five days after an injury scare against the Braves in Atlanta, and he will go on the injured list.
Skubal felt another episode again later Sunday, manager A.J. Hinch said. After talking it over with doctors and staff, Skubal underwent tests that revealed the loose bodies. He will consult with doctors and set up the procedure.
No timetable for Skubal's return was immediately available, but typically this sort of injury requires two to three months. If Skubal follows a similar timeline, that would mean a return in July or August.
"From my understanding, you just go take it out," Skubal said. "I think length of the rehab is probably just getting your Spring Training buildup up again, getting your volume up. But the procedure itself I think is pretty simple as far as what I've been explained.
"I think the important thing is getting them taken out, and then you let the incisions heal I'm assuming, let everything else heal up inside, start playing catch again and [eventually] get back to pitching in the big leagues."
Tyler Holton will start Monday, making his second consecutive start in what will be another bullpen game.
Skubal shook his left arm, grabbed his forearm and summoned catcher Dillon Dingler to the mound last Wednesday night in Atlanta, putting a scare into Tigers fans and officials alike. Skubal said Sunday afternoon he put in a normal between-starts routine and appeared ready to go Monday before Hinch announced news of the surgery.