When Paul Skenes steps onto the mound, there's no sign of a World Baseball Classic hangover. The Pittsburgh Pirates' Cy Young winner has been locked in from the start, and his latest performance—eight shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks with just two baserunners allowed—proves it. But behind that dominance lies a sobering reality that's sweeping through baseball's elite pitching ranks.

Skenes, who starred for Team USA in this year's WBC, knows the risks that come with high-stakes international competition. Yet he's remained remarkably healthy while some of his peers haven't been as fortunate. Before his last start, Skenes sent a text to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner who underwent elbow surgery this week to clean out bone chips. The procedure is expected to sideline Skubal for about two months.

"It's unfortunate," Skenes said, knocking on wood as he spoke. "I've never really had to deal with stuff like that. But he has. I saw his routine up close in the WBC. He's going to come back and be really good."

Skubal's surgery follows a troubling trend. Just two weeks ago, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz—who pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC—had elbow surgery to remove five loose bodies. Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia, who closed out the WBC championship for Venezuela, landed on the injured list with a strained oblique in April. Cubs starter Matthew Boyd also hit the IL with a biceps issue.

It's a delicate dance for MLB. The WBC brings excitement and national pride, but the injury toll is impossible to ignore. For Skenes, who has avoided the injury bug so far, the focus remains on staying sharp and staying healthy. "It's not something I like to think about," he admitted. But with each passing week, the conversation around WBC-related injuries grows louder—and for pitchers like Skubal and Diaz, the road to recovery is just beginning.