Baseball Wiretap

Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will return from the injured list Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday. Skubal has not pitched in the majors since April 29.

The left-hander underwent surgery on May 6 to remove a loose body from his left elbow. Initial projections called for a two-to-three month absence, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache employed the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0, a smaller arthroscope never previously used on a major league pitcher. The less invasive procedure allowed Skubal to resume throwing within days and advance rapidly to full bullpen sessions.

"I don't know if it will be a normal start or if it will be abbreviated," said Hinch. "But just getting him back into the routine and into the fold is a tremendous boost for this team and this rotation and our organization."

Skubal tuned up Sunday on a rehab assignment at High-A West Michigan, throwing five scoreless innings on 54 pitches. His fastball reached 99 mph, and he threw an estimated 15 additional pitches in the bullpen afterward.

"If anything, we're being conservative," said Skubal. "Four weeks after surgery was four or five days ago. Technically, if we wanted to, I could have been back then. I think we've taken this with the right approach. Not aggressive. If anything, we're being conservative."

Skubal's return carries significant implications beyond the mound. The Tigers sit 12 games below .500 following a 6-22 May, though Detroit has won six of its past eight. If the club cannot climb back into contention, Skubal could emerge as the top available asset ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. He is also in a contract year and widely expected to command a record-setting payday this offseason.

"I'm obviously happy with modern technology, modern medicine and the ability for him to do his work step by step," said Hinch. "I'm thrilled this was on the best-case scenario side of things, getting him back so quickly."

MLB's salary cap proposal shares elements with all three major North American sports leagues but mirrors the NHL most closely, while introducing an escrow system that has become a central point of conflict in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the MLB Players Association.

Here is how the existing cap structures in the NFL, NBA and NHL currently operate.

The NFL operates under a hard cap tied directly to league revenue, with players receiving between 48.5% and 48.8% of gross revenue. Teams must stay under the ceiling at all times, with no escrow system. The floor requires each team to spend at least 90% of the cap over rolling multi-year periods. The 2026 cap stands at $301.2 million per team.

The NBA uses a soft cap with a 51/49 revenue split favoring players. Teams can exceed the cap but face escalating luxury tax penalties and roster-building restrictions at the first and second apron thresholds. There is no hard ceiling, though the apron system limits flexibility for the highest-spending clubs. The NBA withholds 10% of player salaries in escrow annually, a mechanism that cost players $480 million last season.

The NHL operates under a hard cap set at $104 million for 2026-27, with players and owners splitting hockey-related revenue 50/50. The salary floor sits at $76.9 million. Teams must be cap-compliant at the season's start, though long-term injured reserve exceptions provide limited flexibility. There is also an escrow system in place.

MLB's proposal features a $243.5 million ceiling and a $171.2 million floor with a 50/50 revenue split, a hard cap structure and an escrow holdback of up to 10%. The MLBPA has resisted all three elements, arguing the combination produces the least favorable cap arrangement of any major professional sport.

With the first round of proposals exchanged, the MLBPA is seeking a competitive-integrity tax targeting low-spending teams, a rise in the base competitive-balance tax threshold from $244 million to $300 million, and hundreds of millions more directed toward players through the pre-arbitration bonus pool and higher minimum salaries. Talks are expected to continue over the coming months, with neither side showing signs of movement from its current stance.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be without starter Jameson Taillon until after the All-Star break due to a strained left hamstring.

The right-hander exited Sunday's game against San Francisco in the second inning. He was placed on the 15-day injury list Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo went to bat for Ketel Marte on Tuesday, saying any idea that the star second baseman is fracturing the Arizona clubhouse "couldn't be further from the truth."

Lovullo's comments came in the wake of a USA Today report over the weekend that Marte is again frustrating some members of the organization by taking days off.

But Lovullo said that was untrue.

The White Sox called up outfielder Braden Montgomery, their top hitting prospect, prior to Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Montgomery is in the starting lineup, playing right field, and will hit sixth against the Braves as he becomes the 12th player to make his MLB debut for Chicago this season.

Outfield prospect Luis Lara and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a seven-year, $31 million contract extension that includes three club options, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.

The deal for the 21-year-old Lara, who has dominated at Triple-A Nashville this season, maxes out at $79 million, sources told ESPN.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched five scoreless innings Sunday in the two-time Cy Young Award winner's first minor league rehabilitation appearance since undergoing elbow surgery last month.

Skubal struck out six and allowed two hits for High-A West Michigan against Dayton. Forty-four of his 54 pitches were strikes, with his fastball reaching 98 mph.

"Velocity was good," Skubal told reporters. "Execution was good. I feel like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today. Good day."

Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman put the blame for his team's offensive woes squarely on himself after going 0-for-5 and making the last out in his team's 2-1 loss in 10 innings to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night.

"I've been terrible," Bregman said. "I need to play better. Offensively, it's been awful. I've failed many times in this game. I've struggled. I've started slow before. I've started fast before. When you're struggling, there is only one way forward and that's straight, head-on through it. It comes down to executing in the game."

Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, another sign that his balky back is hindering his rehab progression.

The 32-year-old right-hander has been out since May 8, two days after a back spasm surfaced. Initially, the team expected him to miss a short period of time.

Instead, Glasnow was shut down and manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher still hasn't been cleared to resume a throwing program.

The Cincinnati Reds have moved up their timetable for right-hander Hunter Greene's return, with the team hopeful that their ace can be back on the mound before the All-Star break in July.

Greene, who was the Reds' Opening Day starter in 2023 and 2025, had bone chips removed on March 11. Cincinnati expected him to be sidelined 14 to 16 weeks.

He is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday, manager Terry Francona told reporters Saturday, and he could soon start a minor league rehab assignment to build up his arm strength.