Tigers' Tarik Skubal on Track to Return from Injury After Bullpen Session 'Felt Good'

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal confirmed that he's on track to start for the team on Thursday after dealing with left side tightness in his previous outing.

"Everything felt good," Skubal said Tuesday, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. "It was one of those weird things. I don't really know how to explain it. Bullpen went well. Scans came back good. It's on to the next one."

Skubal left in the fourth inning of his prior start against the Miami Marlins on Friday due to tightness in his side, but imaging came back clean.

He appears to be going through his normal routine in preparation for his next start, completing his regular bullpen session on Monday. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was impressed with how Skubal looked.

"It was a good bullpen," Hinch said, via Stavenhagen. "It was very normal, which is always great to see. Obviously we said we're gonna go day-by-day, and we have. Now it's the post-throwing day, which is all going well from what I've been told. We're inching closer to when his start day would be. So I was obviously thrilled with the news that things were looking positive. And then when you go out there and see him, it makes everybody feel better."

It's a great sign for Detroit that Skubal doesn't seem to be in danger of missing an extended period of time, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding his initial exit against Miami. He allowed four earned runs while recording just two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work before leaving the game.

The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has put together another stellar season on the mound, owning a 13-5 record in 29 starts to go along with a 2.26 ERA and 0.862 WHIP.

Skubal is also recording 11.0 strikeouts compared to just 1.4 walks per nine innings, with the latter representing the best average among all MLB pitchers. Opposing batters are hitting just .197 against him this season.

The Tigers hold a comfortable 6.5-game lead atop the AL Central standings and seem to be on the verge of their top rotation option returning ahead of the postseason.