Detroit Tigers Manager Backs Tarik Skubal After Difficult WBC Decision

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Tarik Skubal chose to return to the Detroit Tigers for the rest of spring training, and manager A.J. Hinch had his ace's back amid criticism.

The Detroit Tigers are entering the 2026 season hoping to have a little more luck than they did at the end of 2025. While they clinched a Wild Card berth, they lost a 15 1/2 game lead in the American League Central to the Cleveland Guardians and ultimately fell short in the division series against the Seattle Mariners.

Left-hander and reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal recently returned to Tigers camp after making a start in the World Baseball Classic against Great Britain on Saturday night. The star pitcher has received some criticism for choosing to go back to spring training, but manager A.J. Hinch stood up for his ace and defended his decision.

“He was in a really hard spot to try to please everybody in a world where criticism is easy,” Hinch said. “He should take no criticism because I think he did something incredible to be a part of it in the first place.”

A.J. Hinch Defends Tarik Skubal’s WBC Decision

Skubal Had Tough Decision To Make

In truth, it’s a tough decision to make. Skubal was trying to balance wanting to compete for a WBC championship with Team USA and wanting to compete for a World Series title with the Tigers.

There is always an injury risk that comes with pitching in the WBC versus pitching in spring training. At camp, pitchers are still trying to ramp up for the season, whereas in the tournament, pitchers are going full-throttle trying to compete for a championship.

Skubal is simply trying to make sure he is fully prepared for the regular season, and if he is able to replicate two straight Cy Young seasons, then the Tigers should be in business in a relatively weak AL Central.

The 29-year-old left-hander won 13 games last season and posted a 2.21 ERA and 6.5 WAR over 31 starts and 195 1/3 innings of work. The Tigers ace also struck out 241 batters and posted a 0.891 WHIP.

Team USA faces Italy on Tuesday night, hoping to advance to the Quarterfinal round, which begins Friday night. They’ll also hope to win the title again after losing to Team Japan back in 2023.