Probables for Monday's 6:10 PM ET opener at Comerica are still TBD on both sides, but the pitching picture is the whole story here. Tarik Skubal made his return from a left-elbow bone-chip procedure on June 13 against Cleveland — 4.2 innings, 4 strikeouts, 80 pitches — and is lined up to factor into this Yankees series. Justin Verlander is slated to start Sunday vs. the White Sox in his first home Tigers start since 2017, so he's off the table for the opener.
The Yankees are limping in despite the record. Aaron Judge has been on the IL since early June with a stress fracture in his first right rib and is weeks away from a re-evaluation. Giancarlo Stanton re-aggravated the calf. Austin Wells is on a rehab assignment. Trent Grisham hit the 10-day with a moderate hamstring strain. And Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited Thursday's loss to the White Sox in the 4th inning after a foul ball ricocheted into his groin — no update from Aaron Boone yet. Detroit gets them at the right time.
- Day-To-DayJazz Chisholm Jr. 2B — Chisholm (groin) exited Thursday's contest against the White Sox in the fourth inning, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- Day-To-DayEric Reyzelman SP — no
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTrent Grisham CF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Grisham has been diagnosed with a "moderate" right hamstring strain, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — The Yankees announced that Stanton (calf) reinjured his calf and will have a slow week of activities, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Wells C — Wells (head) has been sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin a rehab assignment.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — The Yankees announced Thursday that Judge has a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks before being re-evaluated, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Fried (elbow) will throw off a mound Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Torres (side) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.
- 15-Day-ILJack Flaherty SP — The Tigers placed Flaherty on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left peroneal strain.
- 15-Day-ILBurch Smith RP — Smith (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander SP — Verlander (hip) will return from the injured list to start Sunday's game against the White Sox, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 60-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — The Tigers transferred Baez (ankle) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney SS — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILJackson Jobe SP — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Jobe (elbow) is expected to resume facing hitters in live batting practice "in a few weeks," Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Of course, the Tigers' injury ward is no better. Gleyber Torres is back on the IL with a left oblique — his 2nd stint of the year and a brutal break after he was running an .998 OPS between trips. Jack Flaherty went down June 13 with a left peroneal strain after slipping on the mound, and Wenceel Pérez took a snapped plyometric band to the face in the weight room and had A.J. Hinch sounding genuinely worried. This is not the Detroit team that was a wild-card spoiler a year ago.
Momentum doesn't favor the home side either. The Tigers limp into the homestand after dropping 3 of 4 to Houston, including a doubleheader sweep at 2-4 in both ends. The Yankees, meanwhile, ripped off 4 straight wins — including a 12-2 and a 10-5 carpet-bombing of the White Sox — before getting blanked-ish in Wednesday's 5-1 loss. Even with the offense down 2 middle-of-the-order bats, they're still putting up crooked numbers against bad pitching.
The X-factor is Skubal. If he goes 6 innings and limits damage, Detroit has a chance against whatever depth arm the Yankees roll out behind Max Fried (still mid-rehab on a bone bruise in the elbow). If Skubal isn't on the bump for the opener, this series gets very ugly very fast. The 15-game gap in the standings says everything about which clubhouse is playing for something and which one is auditioning for July sell-offs — and the road favorites should come into Comerica feeling like they're due for a get-right week.