Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has clean scan after experiencing tightness on his left side

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MIAMI (AP) — Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had an exam that showed no structural damage after he felt some tightness on his left side on Friday.

“It’s all good news. The scan came back clean,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins. “So obviously, that’s great for us and great for him.”

Hinch said Skubal returned to Detroit after the test. The left-hander is expected to have his next post-start throwing day on Monday.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get him through this soreness,” Hinch said. “I don’t like him having any soreness whatsoever or any of our guys. Clearly, we were all waiting for the scan and the evaluation and to have positive news is a good step forward.”

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner motioned to his dugout when he first felt tightness in the fourth inning of Friday night's 8-2 loss to Miami. He departed after a brief conversation with Hinch and a Tigers trainer.

The 28-year-old Skubal was charged with four runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings. He is 13-5 with a 2.26 ERA in 29 starts for the AL Central leaders, striking out 224 in 183 1/3 innings.

Hinch said he has not spoken to Skubal directly since the test, but he was informed that the results confirmed he had some tightness by the rib cage area.

“All of that was consistent with what he was saying (Friday),” Hinch said. “So it matched the physical evaluation to go along with the medical evaluation today.”

Hinch also said shortstop Javier Báez continues to show swelling and bruising around his left eye but has resumed game preparation. He entered in the 11th inning of Saturday's 6-4 loss at Miami as a defensive replacement.

Báez exited in the second inning Friday after he fouled off a pitch that deflected off the brim of his batting helmet and struck his forehead and near his eye.

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