Tarik Skubal Expected To Rejoin Dodgers Ahead Of Friday Start
Tarik Skubal is expected to rejoin the Dodgers on Thursday and remains lined up to start Friday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Skubal was placed on the bereavement list Sunday after making his previous start against San Francisco. His absence has been related to a personal matter and not an injury.
Dave Roberts initially said Skubal would be away from the team for a couple of days and indicated there was a chance he would remain on schedule for his next start.
That plan now appears to be holding.
Skubal Remains On Track For Friday
Players can remain on MLB’s bereavement list for between three and seven days.
Skubal will have satisfied the minimum requirement by Thursday, allowing him to rejoin the Dodgers before the team travels to San Francisco for its final regular-season series.
The Dodgers have not officially activated Skubal or announced the corresponding roster move. Unless the plan changes, however, he will take the mound Friday night at Oracle Park.
There has been no indication that Skubal will face any workload restrictions resulting from his time away. Starting Friday would give him five days of rest following his outing Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Final Start Before Postseason
Friday is expected to be Skubal’s final regular-season appearance and his last opportunity to prepare in a game environment before October.
The Dodgers have arranged the rotation so their four projected postseason starters will pitch on consecutive days during the final week.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to face San Diego on Wednesday, followed by Tyler Glasnow on Thursday. Skubal and Blake Snell are then expected to start the first two games in San Francisco.
That alignment gives each pitcher one final tune-up before the postseason while allowing the Dodgers to evaluate their health, command and overall readiness.
Los Angeles has not announced its postseason rotation order, so Skubal’s Friday assignment should not be interpreted as confirmation that he will start a particular playoff game.
Skubal Has Strengthened Dodgers Rotation
Skubal enters his final scheduled start with an 11-7 record, 2.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 176 strikeouts across 151⅔ innings this season.
Since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline, he is 4-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 55 innings across nine starts.
His most recent appearance was not his sharpest. Skubal allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings against the Giants on Saturday, although the Dodgers recovered to win 10-4.
That outing followed one of his best performances since arriving in Los Angeles. Skubal pitched seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against Cincinnati on September 14, helping the Dodgers clinch their 14th consecutive postseason appearance.
Friday will give him an immediate rematch against the same Giants lineup that scored four runs against him in his previous start.
No Injury Concern During Absence
The distinction between the bereavement list and the injured list is important.
Skubal has not been sidelined by a physical setback, and the Dodgers have not reported any concern about his ability to pitch Friday. His temporary absence allowed him to handle a personal matter without using an injured-list designation.
The Dodgers recalled Emmet Sheehan when Skubal was placed on leave. Sheehan responded with 5⅓ scoreless innings against San Francisco and strengthened his case for a postseason bullpen role.
Los Angeles will need to make a corresponding active-roster move when Skubal returns, but that decision has not been announced.
For now, the most important development is that Skubal remains on schedule.
Skubal is expected back with the Dodgers on Thursday, placing one of their primary postseason starters in position to make his final October tune-up Friday night in San Francisco.