Tarik Skubal just reaffirmed his commitment to the Detroit Tigers through his latest move. Skubal will leave the Tigers’ camp for his role in the WBC. But not for long, he revealed on Monday, and his decision generated significant disappointment from the fans.

Mark DeRosa boasted a team with two Cy Young Award winners, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. However, Skubal would be cutting his time in the WBC short. According to Talking Baseball on X, The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen reported that Skubal will be pitching in only one game for Team USA in the WBC.

Skubal reportedly said, “I’m making one start. The reason I didn’t announce it is that I wanted to keep the momentum on the WBC. I’m making one start, and then I’ll stick around for a few games. I haven’t determined what games I’m going to watch.”

Skubal will join captain Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Skenes for one game during the pool play. He informed them that he would just watch the rest of the matches they play. WBC is a fan-favorite event where the players get to showcase their national pride. But the franchises are paying the players some hefty amounts to stay healthy. Skubal clearly adheres to that.

The timing of WBC demands players to perform at a high intensity weeks before Opening Day of the season. The risk of injury remains high, much to the chagrin of those clubs that are sending their players to the WBC.

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However, it seems Skubal understands the injury risk and is prioritizing his Detroit duties. He is currently on a one-year $32 million contract with the Tigers. Skubal will hit free agency at the end of the 2026 season.

“If they go to the finals, I think I’m going to try and lobby to just go watch and be with the guys,” shared Skubal.

Amid his decision to play only a single match, Skubal’s “if they go to the finals” came across as a snub on Team USA. His revelation generated significant backlash from the American fans as well.

America reacts to the Tarik Skubal announcement

“Should just give up his spot if that’s the plan,” wrote a user.

Skubal’s plans of only watching and supporting Team USA from the sidelines clearly don’t sit well with the fans. This user thinks it’s better to give up his spot to someone who can invest in the entire tournament.

“Yeah, that’s weak, bro. Don’t bother to play if you aren’t fully invested; just look at Jack Hughes yesterday,” another fan echoed a similar sentiment, drawing a comparison with ice hockey’s Jack Hughes.

In the gold medal match against Canada, Hughes lost at least three teeth when he got hit with Sam Bennett’s stick during a power play. Clearly, Hughes scoring a golden goal sporting a bloody smile rang true with the American fans’ patriotic spirit.

A fan wrote, “I get it’s a contract year for him, but not being available in a possible championship game and just going to watch is so lame.”

In contrast to this, another wrote, “Makes sense. Don’t risk injury on your contract year when you’re about to get massive money. It’s not hard to comprehend lol.” Amid the disappointment, some fans could evidently see the probable reasoning behind Skubal’s decision. Injuring oneself before the season even begins is clearly not the smartest move.

“NGL, this whole tournament is losing steam now that Ohtani won’t pitch. Skubal is coming for a cup of coffee. The PR is missing prime players. Especially after the actual Olympics, this whole thing feels flimsy & half-assed now,” another wrote,

A fan finds the tournament itself less impressive when Skubal’s singular appearance is combined with Ohtani being limited to only hitting for Japan. The fans feel their desire for an Olympic-worthy contest is not on the cards anymore.