Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is still waiting for the birth of his second child, but he's no longer eligible to remain on the paternity list.
Detroit Tigers activated left-hander Tarik Skubal from the paternity list. He will start for the Tigers on Saturday, July 26, against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park.
But Skubal could leave at any moment.
His wife, Jessica, has not yet given birth to their second child.
"As long as the phone stays silent, I expect it to be business as usual," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Saturday's game. "If we get a call, we'll make him come out of the game or out of his warmups or out of wherever. I don't even know if he'll be here postgame, depending on how it goes."
The MLB paternity list allows players to miss up to three consecutive games.
For Skubal, those three games were: Wednesday, July 23, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thursday, July 24, against the Blue Jays, and Friday, July 25, against the Blue Jays.
Skubal is no longer eligible to remain on the paternity list — and he can't be placed back on it.
"The anticipation of it was the event," Hinch said, explaining the timeline of the roster move. "When she thought that things were starting to speed up, we made the decision that we did, and Tarik was fully on board. Now, we'll just go day-by day."
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It's expected that Skubal will return to be with his wife, Jessica, and their first child, Kasen, after starting Saturday's game. He is lined up to start again Friday, Aug. 1, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Their first child, Kasen, was born in October 2023.
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"Their family is waiting in anticipating for an incredible event," Hinch said. "The priority of his family is the health of Jessica and their newborn, whenever that is — today or a few days from now."
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal returns from paternity list
Category: Baseball
