CHICAGO — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch answered a question after Sunday's win in the MLB Little League Classic about the workload of left-hander Tarik Skubal in the final month-plus of the 2024 season, explaining Skubal could receive extra rest before every start.

The 27-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2016 and flexor tendon surgery in August 2022, is running away with the American League Cy Young Award in his first full season since returning from the second elbow surgery.

"I feel good," Skubal said. "I'm very pleased with where I'm at. It's August, and it's getting to late August, but I feel good. I definitely don't feel like I did in April, but I think that's normal. I feel good, given my circumstances."

But Skubal felt like Hinch's answer was taken out of context from the outside looking in, simply because the Tigers have been managing his workload for the entire season, which means nothing is changing. The Tigers have been, and will continue to be, pumping the breaks on Skubal's innings.

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Skubal, 27, has a 2.49 ERA with 33 walks and 185 strikeouts across 155⅓ innings in 25 starts. He expects to make five or six more starts before the end of the season, beginning Saturday — on five days rest — against the Chicago White Sox.

"I think it's smart to monitor that stuff," said Skubal, who threw just 80⅓ innings last season. "As far as the workload, we have off days to where I have plus-ones and plus-twos, and hopefully, guys coming back off the injured list. I think that maybe was taken out of context a little bit, but I don't know."

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After Saturday, Skubal's next start seems likely to be Aug. 31 against the Boston Red Sox on six days rest. In that case, the Tigers will be able to give Skubal two extra days with an all-too-common bulk-reliever game and the return of starter Casey Mize, who is eligible to be activated Aug. 30 from the injured list.

Beyond that, the Tigers have four off days in September, with one in each week of the month.

"We're in a good spot with him," Hinch said. "We've been doing this all year, strategically, to give him the best opportunity to pitch as much as possible. The other day, when I said that was probably his last start on regular rest, some of that's built by off days, some of that's built by, hopefully, the return of a couple of guys in our rotation. We'll continue to communicate with Tarik on what we feel is best for him."

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In 2024, Skubal leads MLB in wins (14) and ERA (2.49), along with leading the AL in strikeouts (185), putting him on pace to win the AL pitching Triple Crown.

Only 28 pitchers have won the Triple Crown in MLB history, happening just six times since 2000. The last AL pitcher: Shane Bieber in 2020; the last National League pitcher: Clayton Kershaw in 2011. The most recent Tiger to do so was Justin Verlander in 2011.

"Keep doing what I'm doing," said Skubal, a first-time All-Star in his fifth MLB season. "Continue to get better, stack days, stack outings, bullpen work, all that stuff just needs to continue to be consistent. My routine needs to be consistent. We'll see where we're at after my next five or six starts."

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Remember, the Tigers have restricted Skubal throughout the entire 2024 season, using off days to steal extra rest. Of his 25 starts, he has made 11 starts on four days rest, seven starts on five days rest and seven starts on six days rest.

The workload restrictions have occurred within individual starts, as well.

In four starts, Skubal was pulled after completing seven innings with no more than four hits despite throwing fewer than 95 pitches. (To be exact: 91 pitches on April 28, 93 pitches on May 29, 91 pitches on June 25 and 93 pitches on July 5.) The Tigers removed Skubal from those seven-inning gems to protect him, even though he could have returned for the eighth inning.

He has thrown at least 100 pitches in just three starts.

"It's not just a reaction in August and September," Hinch said. "It's a longer, dedicated program."

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Skubal has unfinished business in the 2024 season, highlighted by helping his team win as many games as possible, but as for the workload restrictions, he is already looking ahead to the 2025 season in search of a guaranteed 200-plus innings.

There's practically no chance he gets to 200 innings in 2024.

"If I'm 180 to 200 innings, that sets me up quite well for next year," Skubal said. "That's a lot of innings, too. I'm not going to complain about it. I think it was kind of taken out of context a little bit."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubal: Workload management a season-long job