This is Javier Báez's place rough season continues, as the Tigers placed the veteran shortstop on the 10-day injured list ahead of tonight's game against the Nationals. The layoff, which is retroactive to June 9, is due to inflammation of the lumbar spine. Ryan Kreidler moves up from Triple-A Toledo to take an active roster spot.
Báez told the Detroit Rhythm that he's headed to Florida for more testing (link posted by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). The Tigers did not provide a timeline for his return, though he is expected to be out for a little while. Báez has experienced some discomfort with dating in Spring Training, which could have contributed to the worst performance in his career.
The two-time All-Star hit just one home run in 196 plate appearances. He is hitting .183/.209/.247 in 53 games. Among hitters with 150+ trips to the plate, only Mickey Moniak has a low base percentage. Tim Anderson and Moniak were the only such hitters to make a minor power impact. Báez rated as a slightly below-average defender over 451 2/3 innings at shortstop. Total production is below the level of replacement.
Báez now owns a .223/.264/344 slash line in 333 games since signing a six-year, $140MM free agent contract with Detroit. Tigers president of baseball Scott Harris downplayed the possibility of Báez moving away altogether in an appearance on MLB Network late last month. That won't have to be considered while he's on the injured list, but the Tigers clearly need better production out of the position. Detroit is last in all three slash stats from their shortstops on the year.
For now, that job will fall to Kreidler again Zach McKinstry. Manager AJ Hinch indicated the duo will split shortstop reps while Báez is on the shelf. The lefty-swinging McKinstry and the righty-swinging Kreidler will create something for the team, although Hinch indicated that Kreidler will not be completely immune to the righty swing. As the Nats start in left Mitchell Parker tonight, Kreidler is on his first MLB assignment of the season.
The UCLA product appeared in 37 major league games between 2022-23. Kreidler didn't hit much in those limited appearances, turning in a .165/.220/.209 slash over 102 plate appearances. He owns a .242/.362/448 mark with a career-high 27.1% slugging percentage in parts of four seasons with Toledo. McKinstry has hit .225/.296/.341 in 624 MLB plate appearances since the Tigers acquired him from the Cubs just before the start of last season. He is a career .219/.284/.365 hitter against right-handed pitching.
While the Tigers are putting things together in the infield, they seem to have stopped the bullet in the rotation. Jack Flaherty He was out last week against the Rangers after straining his back. He hasn't ridden since but appears to be on his way to avoiding the injury list. As noted by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press, Flaherty received an injection yesterday and is scheduled to take the ball during this weekend's series against the Astros. Signed to a one-year cushion contract over the winter, Flaherty is playing at an All-Star level. He owns a 3.22 ERA while striking out more than a third of his opponents in his first 12 starts.
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