The Tigers remain hopeful that their highest-paid player isn't a completely sunk cost. After three woeful seasons in Detroit, shortstop Javier Baez is aiming to come back stronger from hip surgery. His future in the majors likely hangs in the balance.
Baez, 32, dealt with hip soreness and lower back discomfort for most of last season and missed a month with lumbar spine inflammation. He was "feeling restricted and struggling to rotate" at the plate, per Scott Harris. Ideally, the hip operation solves that.
"We hope this is a remedy to get him back to playing with freedom and playing more consistently and being the version of the player that he thinks he can become and we think he can become," A.J. Hinch said Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. "He's got work to do. He sat on the sidelines and watched a really young, interesting team play really well down the stretch, and I bet that's giving him a lot of energy."
Baez has three years and $72 million remaining on his six-year deal. The Tigers have not explored buying him out. Their plan is to get him healthy and back on the field.
"There's no reason to suggest that he won't have a role on this team if he comes out of the surgery feeling like he can rotate the way he used to when he was performing among the best players in the game," Harris said at the end of last season. "And he certainly fits the framework of our infield right now."
Hinch said Tuesday that while Baez has a long way to go, he's off to a good start in his recovery.
"Javy is doing well. He's in between Puerto Rico and Tampa with his rehab. We go back and forth. Our people have been down to Puerto Rico and seen him. He's going step by step. It's a long rehab process, and that's why we're all anxious to see how he comes out of it physically with the hip and hopefully alleviates the back issues that he's talked a lot about."
Hinch said he's not sure how long the injury hampered Baez, who's gone from bad to worse in Detroit. Last season was the worst of his career when he hit .184 in 80 games. But "he's been very diligent in his work and his rehab process," said Hinch.
"He hasn't had a misstep or anything that gives us doubt that he's not going to be fully healthy when the time comes. I don't know when that is, and I don't know what he's going to be able to give us. As we get into the spring, we'll know a little bit more. But I've been very proud of his communication, his diligence. The program he's on is giving him the best chance to get back being healthy," said Hinch.