COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — On a picturesque Sunday in West Michigan, an announcer’s voice boomed through the stands at LMCU Park.“Not many times do you get the opportunity to see someone of this caliber pitch in a Whitecaps uniform,” the announcer said. “Today is your chance.”A sold-out crowd of 8,967 packed the park to watch Tarik Skubal pitch on a rehab assignment. As Skubal walked toward the bullpen at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday, whispers circled through fans standing on the right-field lawn.“There’s the pitcher,” one fan said.“Is that him?” said another.Finally, as Skubal neared the bullpen, someone bellowed: “There he is!”As much as this was a treat for fans at High-A West Michigan, where Skubal was pitching because of weather concerns at Triple-A, this was also a spectacle that drew attention from all around baseball. Skubal had surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow May 6. Barely one month later, he was pitching in a game for the first time. With his Detroit Tigers still 12 games under .500, the possibility of Skubal becoming the sport’s biggest prize at the trade deadline looms. For the Tigers, who have now won five of their past six, Skubal’s impending return also represents a chance to get their season back on the rails.For Skubal, this rehab start also provided a lens to appreciate a journey that has led him to the apex of his craft. The first time he ever pitched for the Whitecaps, he was a ninth-round draft pick with a funny name and high leg kick. He came out of the bullpen, as he did for eight of his first nine professional appearances. His stuff quickly sizzled. He threw 3 1/3 hitless innings in his first game with the Whitecaps, a performance that started his ascent to prospect lists and validated his goal of proving to the Tigers he was a starter.“I don’t think they had any plans of me being who I am, just based on where I was drafted,” Skubal said. “I kind of became a prospect here.”Eight years and two Cy Young Awards later, Skubal returned to the outskirts of Grand Rapids. He was also here on a rehab assignment in 2023, but this time was different. As the announcer also said over the speakers: “Tarik Skubal in 2023 is a little different than Tarik Skubal in 2026.” Those three years have marked Skubal’s transformation from talented left-hander to the best pitcher in the sport, a southpaw capable of putting a team on his back every fifth day.Whether he’s traded before the Aug. 3 deadline or whether he leads the Tigers back from the brink, Skubal could be on the precipice of a record payday after he becomes a free agent this winter. A once-anonymous prospect is now at the center of the sport in so many ways.Whitecaps officials reported Sunday’s game was already expected to be a sellout before it was announced Skubal was pitching. After the Skubal news, tickets on third-party websites shot through the roof, listed for sale at four-figure prices. Such is what happens these days when Skubal comes to town.“I saw some ticket prices, and I was like, ‘Whoa,’” Skubal said. “That just means a lot. (The fans) care about me, and I care about them.”Tarik Skubal pitched five innings and threw 54 pitches, 44 of them for strikes, while striking out six, walking none and surrendering only two hits in a rehab start at High A on Sunday. (Brandon Sloter / IOS / Getty Images)The actual baseball was remarkably efficient, if not somewhat uninformative. Facing High-A hitters who hardly had a chance, Skubal breezed through his first inning in eight pitches. He dispatched his first two hitters on strikeouts and had a chance at an immaculate inning before Dayton Dragons outfielder Kien Vu hit a weak grounder to second.All in all, Skubal checked all the necessary boxes during his rehab outing. He pitched five innings and threw 54 pitches, 44 of them for strikes. He struck out six batters, walked none and surrendered only two hits. As he had already displayed in bullpens and live sessions against Tigers hitters, his stuff looked Skubalesque as ever. His fastball topped out at 99 mph and sat around 97-98. He threw his changeup, his slider and his curveball. Young hitters, perhaps intimidated by the presence of a big-league ace, swing early and often. They whiffed 16 times.Talking in front of 13 reporters from all over the state afterward, Skubal was pleased with his day, though he still nitpicked the shape of his changeup and lamented a couple of two-strike counts that turned into balls in play.“I feel really good right now,” Skubal said. “I’m not really chasing anything. I’m just trying to be me. If I try to chase a version of myself, I think that’s a slippery slope, and you can kind of run yourself down a rabbit hole and negatively impact performance. … It was good to see velocity, obviously. That’s kind of my thing. I throw hard. And I think all my shapes were pretty good.”After five innings, Skubal walked out toward the bullpen to build more volume. He said he threw around 15 more pitches, pushing his total for the day near the Tigers’ target of 70. Out in the bullpen, he chatted with West Michigan relievers — the same ones who had their eyes glued to Skubal’s every move earlier in the day — about their routines and their careers. Skubal reminded them he was once a reliever in their shoes, too.“I think you can kind of appreciate a little bit of nostalgia,” Skubal said.As part of his day in West Michigan, Skubal — a noted caffeine junkie — brought in a coffee cart for the whole team. Afterward, he treated his minor-league brethren with catering from a high-end steakhouse.And as for the question everyone is asking? There’s still a little more to determine. It’s a distinct possibility Skubal could pitch in the major leagues as soon as this coming Friday against the Cleveland Guardians.Tigers manager A.J. Hinch remarked a couple of days before Skubal’s outing, “Hopefully it’s one stint and then he can come back to the big leagues.”Skubal was not quite ready to make that commitment. He had not yet seen reports from his outing. He had not talked with Hinch or team executives. He still has to see how his body recovers after his most strenuous workload in more than a month.“That’s a good question that I’m not going to answer,” Skubal said. “There’s a plan in place. I need to wake up and feel good tomorrow and have a good week of work, and then we’ll make that decision when we need to make it. But it doesn’t really do me any good to tell you guys when I’m pitching next. I need to make sure I bounce back from this one really well.”Whether Skubal returns to the majors in five days or perhaps a bit more, his recovery has still been unprecedented. Like everyone else, Skubal first assumed he would miss close to three months. Instead, Dr. Neal ElAttrache introduced the NanoNeedle scope, claiming it could reduce Skubal’s recovery time closer to 4-6 weeks. Skubal was the first known MLB pitcher to have such a surgery, and Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell has already followed suit.“That’s all I put my mind on was four weeks,” Skubal said, “and I think we’re right there right now.”So here Skubal is, barely one month out from surgery, back on his way to the top of his game. As his Tigers try to fight back into contention, Skubal’s recovery and what comes next will be a national storyline for the rest of the summer and beyond.“I’m excited to get back and impact baseball games and make a run at this thing,” Skubal said. “I still believe in this team. I still believe that we’re a World Series-caliber team, just with who we got and the guys we got. We’re getting healthy at the right time, and we’re going to make a run at it.”Out in the bullpen, after Skubal finished his first warmup session, one fan yelled: “Stay in Detroit, Tarik!”