Struggling for the third straight season in Detroit, Javy Baez -- and the Tigers -- are getting a reprieve. Baez has been placed on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation and will head to Florida to visit with a specialist and then begin rehab at the Tigers' complex in Lakeland.
The move is retroactive to June 9, but it sounds like Baez could be out longer than 10 days.
In a corresponding move, the Tigers have recalled infielder Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo. Kreidler and Zach McKinstry will share most of the duties at shortstop in Baez's absence, with Andy Ibañez an option as well, A.J. Hinch told reporters before Tuesday's game against the Nationals. Kreidler is making his season debut Tuesday night, batting eighth.
Baez told reporters that his back has bothered him off and on this year. The former All-Star is mired in the worst season his career, hitting .183 with one home run in 53 games, his latest nosedive since signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers in 2021. Among the 199 big-leaguers with at least 180 plate appearances this season, Baez is last with a .456 OPS -- the only hitter under .500. He's also last in wRC+.
Baez said that "it wasn't an easy decision for me" to accept going to the IL: "Obviously, I want to be out there. But if I want to help this team long-term, I've got to do this and try to come back for the second half."
Hinch said it was the most sensible move after he had a meeting with Baez over the weekend and the 31-year-old said "that it's harder and harder for him to feel like he can get through the game. We had him looked at, he saw the doctor, he got imaging and what came out of it was this IL stint."
Kreidler excelled for the Tigers in spring training, but was basically blocked by Baez and his contract from making the team. Then he broke a finger when he was hit by a pitch early in the season with Toledo and only recently returned. He's 4-for-25 this year in Triple-A, where he posted an .810 OPS last year.
Known more for his glove than his bat, the 26-year-old has had a couple stints with the Tigers the past two seasons, hitting .165 across 37 games.
