The baseball gods have dealt another cruel blow to the pitching world, and this time it's a familiar face on the shelf. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, was scratched from his start against the Boston Red Sox on Monday after what was initially called a precautionary move. Now, the news is far more serious: Skubal has loose bodies in his throwing elbow and will require surgery.

According to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen, there is no timetable for Skubal's return. That's a gut punch for Tigers fans and a worrying sign for anyone who loves elite pitching. But here's the real kicker—Skubal's injury completes an unfortunate trifecta. As Chandler Rome of The Athletic noted, the top three finishers in last season's AL Cy Young voting are now all on the injured list.

Second-place finisher Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox landed on the 15-day IL on April 29 with left shoulder inflammation. While an MRI showed no structural damage, it's still a massive setback for a Red Sox team that's already struggling to find its footing. Then there's Hunter Brown, who earned a third-place Cy Young vote last season. The Astros right-hander is dealing with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain and has been out since April 5, missing nearly all of April. Without him, Houston has stumbled to an 8-17 record.

For Skubal and the Tigers, the path forward is uncertain but not hopeless. If Detroit can hover around .500 and keep things competitive until their ace returns, they might just weather the storm. But for now, it's a tough pill to swallow for a team that relied so heavily on its Cy Young winner to lead the way.