Tarik Skubal is scheduled to make a rehab start on Sunday, roughly four weeks after he underwent a new procedure to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow.

If all goes well, the reigning two-time Cy Young winner could return to the Detroit Tigers‘ rotation soon, even while he’s the subject of trade rumors ahead of MLB’s trade deadline. Manager A.J. Hinch announced the rehab plan to reporters on Friday.

Skubal will make his rehab start with the club’s single-A affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan, due to weather concerns elsewhere.

“He’s gonna go on rehab and pitch on Sunday in West Michigan,” Hinch said. “It’s weather-related. Looks pretty nasty in Iowa. Looks pretty nasty in Richmond. Looks great in Grand Rapids.

“The Caps will get a pretty good starting pitcher for Sunday, and we’ll get him started competitively with his outing. We’re excited for that.”

Tarik Skubal could return to Detroit’s rotation as soon as next week.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Hinch also announced that starting pitchers Casey Mize (adductor) and Justin Verlander (hip) will throw off the mound Saturday amid their own rehab from stints on the injured list. He didn’t offer a precise timeline for either’s return.

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How will Skubal look after new surgical procedure?

Skubal will make his rehab start a month after undergoing a new procedure on May 7 to remove a loose body from his left elbow. Pitchers were previously projected to miss a minimum of three months for undergoing such a procedure. How Skubal performs and reacts after his procedure will be the subject of great scrutiny.

Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, who coined the procedure the “Skubal scope,” likened the less invasive procedure to remove a “lima-bean sized particle” to an “an injection” rather than surgery. He told ESPN’s Buster Olney in May that the procedure would cut Skubal’s return timeline to “well less than half” of what would be expected from a traditional arthroscopic procedure and allow Skubal to pick up roughly where he left off upon his return to the mound.

“We really feel that the buildup will be, really — he will not lose the buildup that he had, you know, prior to the surgery,” Boras said. “And he’ll be able to return to performance at just a much, much earlier stage.”

A return to Detroit’s rotation as soon as next week would put Skubal almost two full months ahead of the timeline projected for an arthroscopic procedure.

How long Skubal would remain in Detroit’s rotation is unclear. With the Tigers (25-38) 10.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, Skubal has been the subject of trade rumors ahead of MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Prior to his elbow procedure, Skubal (2.70 ERA, 0.946 WHIP) was in the midst of another outstanding season on the heels of consecutive Cy Young campaigns. He’d be a difference-making addition for any contending club seeking to upgrade the top of its rotation.

Whether the Tigers are seriously considering dealing their ace is unclear. The AL playoff race remains wide open, and the Tigers have time to return to contention ahead of the August trade deadline.

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