WNBA Slightly Raises Technical, Flagrant Foul Fines for 2026 Season
WNBA increases fines for technical and flagrant fouls ahead of 2026 season.
Tarik Skubal, the two-time AL Cy Young winner, will undergo elbow surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 months. The surgery is to remove loose bodies in his elbow, not for a torn ligament.

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We had significant news out of Major League Baseball on Monday with the Detroit Tigers announcing that ace and two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will need surgery on his pitching (left) elbow and out an indefinite period. It's not for a torn ligament, which is good news, but he still might be looking at 2-3 months on the sideline to get some loose bodies in that elbow addressed.
Skubal could be seen shaking his left arm during the seventh inning of his start last Wednesday in Atlanta. He was visited by team trainers but stayed in the game and struck out the side to complete his outing. Skubal had been penciled in for his usual start on Monday against Boston before the surgery decision was made. It's his first IL stint since 2023. Loose bodies are bone chips or small fragments of cartilage caused by repeated stress on the bone located at the back of the elbow. The chips cause pain and in some cases has a connection to UCL damage.
"From my understanding, you just go take it out," Skubal told reporters Monday. "I think length of the rehab is probably just getting your spring training buildup up again, getting your volume up. But the procedure itself I think is pretty simple as far as what I've been explained. This is something that I've been dealing with all season. It's good to get an answer, honestly."
Both Tigers manager AJ Hinch and Skubal refused to disclose an estimated timetable for a return to games while discussing the situation Monday. The actual date for the surgery is still unknown. Skubal was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in seven starts. He was the +230 favorite at DraftKings to threepeat as AL Cy Young winner but is now off the board completely. No pitcher has ever won the AL Cy three straight seasons.
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The beneficiary so far is young Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who jumped from +500 to the +230 favorite. His teammate also got a boost from +650 to +250.
Tarik Skubal is undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow.
Skubal is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 months following his elbow surgery.
Skubal's elbow issues are due to loose bodies, which are bone chips or cartilage fragments caused by repeated stress on the elbow.
Skubal has fallen from being a favorite for the AL Cy Young Award to off the odds board due to his injury and upcoming surgery.
WNBA increases fines for technical and flagrant fouls ahead of 2026 season.
Despite Tarik Skubal's injury, the Tigers remain hopeful for the season.
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Needless to say, this could be potentially devastating to the Tigers, who could have traded Skubal this offseason ahead of his unrestricted free agency next winter. But the franchise was all-in to win a World Series in 2026.
And we can't really blame Skubal for perhaps being a little selfish in his recovery because he was potentially looking at a record-setting contract for a starting pitcher when he hits the market. It's unlikely the Tigers will be able to afford him. Skubal won a salary arbitration case in February and is being paid $32 million this season; Detroit's offer was for only $19 million.
Detroit is neck-and-neck with Cleveland for the AL Central lead and still the +160 favorite but just barely over the Guardians (+175). The SportsLine Projection Model has downgraded the Tigers from 85.2 wins on the season to 84.7 if Skubal is out until mid-July. The team's chances of winning the Central drop from 50.1% to 48.3% and the playoffs from 68.3% to 66.7%.
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