Tarik Skubal injury creates massive opportunity for Angels' starter Jose Soriano

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano is off to a strong this season and there were already whispers that he could be in the conversation for this year's AL Cy Young Award. But news of Tarik Skubal's injury is only going to increase the chatter surrounding the Angels' ace as a potential Cy Young candidate in 2026.

The Tigers have lost Skubal to apparent arm injury. Reports emerged on Monday that the two-time defending Cy Young Award-winner was scratched from his start against the Boston Red Sox, and mere moments later it was revealed that he'd need surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Though a timeline has yet to be released, it's like that Skubal won't return until at least after the All-Star break.

While it's not necessarily appropriate to ridicule the misfortune of others, Skubal's injury has turned what most analysts considered to be an open-and-shut case for this year's Cy Young Award and turned it into a wide-open race.

Angels' Jose Soriano's awards odds could benefit greatly from Tarik Skubal injury

Furthermore, last year's other Cy Young finalists — Garrett Crochet and Hunter Brown — are also on the injured list. Crochet has been out since the end of April with left shoulder inflammation and Brown suffered a Grade 2 shoulder strain earlier this season. Crochet is expected to return in rather short order, but Brown will miss at least another month.

Soriano has been among the biggest surprises this season. Through seven starts, the Angels right-hander is 5-1 with a 0.84 ERA and 2.89 FIP. He's striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings pitched and has only allowed two balls to leave the yard this season.

But just because Skubal is sidelined for the foreseeable future doesn't mean Soriano is without top competition for this year's Cy Young Award. Among the other AL contenders are Cam Schlittler and Max Fried (New York Yankees), Dylan Cease (Toronto Blue Jays), and Seth Lugo (Kansas City Royals).

The Angels' starting rotation — led by Soriano — has been a welcome surprise for the fanbase this season. What's long been one of the team's biggest weaknesses has suddenly become a strength. If Soriano can keep up the red-hot pace that he set since Opening Day, he'll be in the Cy Young conversation by season's end.

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