Tarik Skubal to Leave Team USA, Return to Tigers After Comments on Extended WBC Role

Tarik Skubal's time with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic will end after Monday's game against Mexico.

Manager Mark DeRosa told reporters the ace will leave the team following the contest and return to Detroit Tigers as the American League Central club prepares for the 2026 campaign.

It was apparently a difficult decision for the pitcher:

Skubal's status with the team was a major storyline going into the tournament, as he said last month on the Flippin' Bats podcast he would make just one start in what was a "mutual" decision.

"It's probably mutual, you know. I think all parties are kind of aligned with this one, including myself, obviously," he said (19:30 mark). "…It's the timing, you know. It's the timing for me. If this tournament was in the middle of our season like it is hockey, I'd have no problem throwing both games, you know, throwing as much as I can for Team USA. I'd have no problem."

He made that start in Saturday's 9-1 win over Great Britain and struck out five while allowing one run and two hits in three innings of work.

Yet he appeared to change his mind about how long he would stay with the team and told reporters, "I didn't expect these types of emotions to run through my brain or my thoughts to differ. I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp.

"Things have changed, obviously. That's why I'm going to have some conversations and try to figure out a plan for me. But yeah, I don't know either way."

It is a difficult situation to balance, as Skubal's comments indicated he wanted to continue representing his country. However, he also has a season to prepare for and surely doesn't want to put himself in position to suffer an injury with an extensive workload in March.

That he is entering the final year of his contract only adds another layer to the situation, as he is sure to land a massive deal next offseason if he can remain healthy.

After all, Skubal is one of the best pitchers in the league and is coming off back-to-back American League Cy Young awards. He finished the 2025 campaign with a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings of work.

Having someone like that in the rotation the rest of the tournament would have given the Americans a better opportunity to win the World Baseball Classic, but they will have to make do with their other pitchers.

One of those pitchers is Paul Skenes, who will take the ball Monday against Mexico.