The Detroit Tigers suffered a massive blow on Monday when it was announced that left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal will undergo elbow surgery and is expected to be sidelined for a couple of months. For the rest of the hurlers in the American League, though, this seemingly opens the door for a new name to capture the 2026 AL Cy Young Award. With Skubal set to miss a decent chunk of the season, he most likely won't end up winning his third-straight Cy Young Award. In fact, even the past few AL Cy Young winners before Skubal—Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray, Shane Bieber, and Blake Snell—are either also dealing with their own injuries this year or no longer pitch in the American League. A lot can change over the course of the season. But, for now, here are some of the pitchers who are standing out as AL Cy Young hopefuls so far in 2026.…