Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez leaves game as left shoulder flares up, not considered serious
It wasn't a close play at the plate.
Báez appeared to hurt his left shoulder on the head-first slide, as he remained on the ground for a few moments. As it turns out, he did suffer an injury that day.
"My shoulder kind of got stuck," Báez said Sunday, July 20, more than a month later. "It's been bothering me, but I feel good. We've been doing treatment."
SUNDAY'S GAME: Tigers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win vs. Rangers in Tarik Skubal gem
In Sunday's game, Báez exited in the sixth inning with no obvious injury, replaced by Trey Sweeney at shortstop. Although there wasn't a specific play that triggered the issue, Báez said he felt soreness in his left shoulder while he was playing.
The Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1, at Globe Life Field, snapping a season-long six game losing streak. Báez went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before his departure.
Manager A.J. Hinch didn't provide a specific diagnosis.
"So Javy came into the dugout and just said he didn't feel right," Hinch said after Sunday's win. "I asked him what was going on. He just kept saying he didn't feel right, so I took him out of the game."
Báez clarified afterward.
"I was just trying to figure it out," Báez said. "I didn't want to keep playing with soreness. It is sore a little bit, but we've been doing treatment today, and we'll do treatment tomorrow, and we'll see how it feels."
EL MAGO, AN ALL-STAR: 4 years after trade, Javier Báez and Pete Crow-Armstrong share CF as All-Star starters
In 2025, Báez is hitting .274 with 10 home runs and a .746 OPS in 81 games, reclaiming his role as the Tigers' primary shortstop. The 32-year-old made the All-Star Game for the third time in his 12-year MLB career. He is one of the top candidates for American League Comeback Player of the Year.
Báez doesn't expect a stint on the injured list.
"Not for now," Báez said. "I don't think so. I think I will get better day-to-day. I'll see how it feels tomorrow."
Need more proof that Báez is in the clear?
He led the line of high-fives to celebrate the win, joked with teammates in the clubhouse after the game and rotated his left shoulder freely like it was no big deal.
"I think it's something connected with all the muscles that go through my shoulder," Báez said, "but my shoulder, as you can see, it's really good. I have really good mobility."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Tigers!' by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Javier Baez out early vs Rangers

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nationals play the Reds leading series 1-0
Cincinnati Reds (52-49, third in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (40-60, fifth in the NL East) Washington; Tuesday, 6:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Chase Burns (0-1, 6.19 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 25 strikeouts); Nationals: Brad Lord (2-5, 3.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 56 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Reds -136, Nationals +115; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds, leading the series 1-0. Washington is 40-60 overall and 20-30 in home games. Nationals hitters are batting a collective .246, which ranks eighth in the NL. Cincinnati is 24-27 on the road and 52-49 overall. The Reds have a 44-6 record in games when they out-hit their opponents. Tuesday's game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Nationals hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: James Wood has 21 doubles and 24 home runs while hitting .275 for the Nationals. Brady House is 15 for 39 with three doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. Elly De La Cruz has 18 doubles, three triples and 18 home runs for the Reds. Matt McLain is 12 for 40 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 3-7, .236 batting average, 6.13 ERA, outscored by 24 runs Reds: 6-4, .257 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs INJURIES: Nationals: Trevor Williams: 60-Day IL (elbow), Keibert Ruiz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Derek Law: 60-Day IL (forearm), Dylan Crews: 10-Day IL (back), Orlando Ribalta: 15-Day IL (biceps), DJ Herz: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josiah Gray: 60-Day IL (elbow) Reds: Ian Gibaut: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Wade Miley: 15-Day IL (flexor), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Greene: 15-Day IL (groin), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pirates bring 1-0 series lead over Tigers into game 2
Detroit Tigers (60-41, first in the AL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-61, fifth in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Casey Mize (9-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 77 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 92 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -150, Pirates +126; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Detroit Tigers, leading the series 1-0. Pittsburgh has a 27-24 record at home and a 40-61 record overall. The Pirates have a 28-17 record in games when they record eight or more hits. Detroit is 60-41 overall and 28-23 in road games. The Tigers have a 41-6 record in games when they scored five or more runs. The teams meet Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew McCutchen has 15 doubles, eight home runs and 31 RBIs while hitting .256 for the Pirates. Tommy Pham is 11 for 35 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Gleyber Torres has nine home runs, 54 walks and 45 RBIs while hitting .281 for the Tigers. Colt Keith is 8 for 31 with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .220 batting average, 6.13 ERA, outscored by 33 runs Tigers: 3-7, .209 batting average, 5.48 ERA, outscored by 26 runs INJURIES: Pirates: Chase Shugart: 15-Day IL (knee), Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (back), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Tigers: Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (hip), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 15-Day IL (neck), Kerry Carpenter: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Giants play the Braves after Adames' 4-hit game
San Francisco Giants (52-49, third in the NL West) vs. Atlanta Braves (44-55, fourth in the NL East) Atlanta; Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Landen Roupp (6-6, 3.36 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 89 strikeouts); Braves: Davis Daniel (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, six strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Braves -110, Giants -110; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants take on the Atlanta Braves after Willy Adames had four hits against the Braves on Monday. Atlanta has a 26-24 record in home games and a 44-55 record overall. The Braves have gone 37-19 in games when they record at least eight hits. San Francisco has a 24-29 record in road games and a 52-49 record overall. The Giants have a 26-10 record in games when they out-hit their opponents. The matchup Tuesday is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The Giants hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Marcell Ozuna has 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Braves. Ronald Acuna is 11 for 36 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs over the past 10 games. Rafael Devers leads the Giants with 17 home runs while slugging .456. Adames is 10 for 38 with four home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 5-5, .251 batting average, 5.56 ERA, outscored opponents by one run Giants: 3-7, .232 batting average, 5.52 ERA, outscored by 26 runs INJURIES: Braves: Austin Riley: 10-Day IL (abdomen), Spencer Schwellenbach: 60-Day IL (elbow), Chris Sale: 60-Day IL (rib), AJ Smith-Shawver: 60-Day IL (calf/elbow), Reynaldo Lopez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Joe Jimenez: 60-Day IL (knee) Giants: Erik Miller: 15-Day IL (elbow), Christian Koss: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jerar Encarnacion: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.