Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez sits out two games as struggles pile up: 'Really frustrating'
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez didn't play in the final two games of the series against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park, but the struggling ex-slugger wasn't working on specific adjustments in the batting cage.
He knows what he needs to do to survive the rest of the season.
It comes down to timing and trust.
"Having the trust of that plan and not trying to cover every pitch that they throw to me," Báez said before Thursday's 4-3 win over the Yankees. "Controlling the zone, to be honest, because when the pitcher breaks to the plate, I get desperate to hit the ball. Sometimes, I need to slow the game down and let it come to me."
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The Tigers didn't bench Báez over the past two games.
Rather, the 30-year-old didn't play in Thursday's series finale due to soreness in his right arm and lower back. He said he asked manager A.J. Hinch if he could sit out Thursday's game because of his arm soreness.
"He's beat up a little bit and not feeling 100%," Hinch said before Thursday's game. "I'm not going to play him when he's not. He's day-to-day. We talked about it last night after the game. Yesterday, it was a simple day off that turned into multiple days off. ... It's a combination of things."
Báez described the arm soreness as "normal stuff that I go through," and he expects to be in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
He knows his putrid offense — batting .219 with eight home runs, 19 walks and 111 strikeouts over 118 games — isn't helping the Tigers. It's gotten so bad that the Tigers have slotted Báez in the Nos. 7-8 spots in the batting order over the past two weeks. He wound up in the No. 8 spot for the first time Aug. 25, and he hasn't been in the No. 6 spot — itself a rarity in his career — since Aug. 18.
Báez, owed $98 million by the Tigers across the 2024-27 seasons, posted a .175 batting average with one double, one home run and a .488 OPS over 17 games in August, following a .575 OPS in March/April, .586 OPS in May, .613 OPS in June and .602 OPS in July.
"I'm not tracking the ball right," Báez said. "It's really frustrating when you're trying to help the team and trying to do everything, but I'm going to keep trying. ... When I got back (from the bereavement list), I was seeing the ball better, and I started doing a little too much again and lost track of the ball again."
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The Tigers didn't play Báez on Wednesday because he didn't match up well with Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole. Báez is hitting .182 against four-seam fastballs, and .194 on four-seam fastballs inside the strike zone; Cole features the second-best four-seam fastball in baseball and appears to be the frontrunner for the American League Cy Young award.
For Thursday's game, though, the Tigers didn't put Báez in the lineup because he wanted another day to rest his right arm and lower back. He hopes a couple of days on the bench will spark better results in the upcoming six-game roadtrip, beginning with the White Sox in Chicago.
"I'm just trying to see the ball better," Báez said.
Moving to the bullpen
Right-hander Alex Faedo is changing roles.
The Tigers are sending Faedo, the No. 18 overall pick in 2017, to the bullpen in a multi-inning role. When he pitches, for the most part, will be predetermined by Hinch. The 27-year-old could pitch Friday against the White Sox.
"We're going to transition him to the bulk reliever," Hinch said. "I won't go back-to-back, and I won't ambush him. We'll have a pretty good idea of when we're going to use him and give him plenty of time to get ready. One time through the order, 45-50 pitches, and then be available a couple of days later."
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Faedo has a 4.98 ERA with 17 walks and 47 strikeouts over 56 innings in 11 starts with the Tigers. For now, left-hander Joey Wentz will remain in the starting rotation. The 25-year-old is lined up to start Tuesday against the Yankees in New York.
Wentz and Faedo could both pitch Tuesday against the Yankees, or the Tigers could implement a different plan. Wentz has a 6.95 ERA with 38 walks and 83 strikeouts over 89⅓ innings in 20 games (17 starts) with the Tigers.
"We'll talk about how we're going to attack New York next week, whether it's a bullpen game, or whether we open for (Wentz) again," Hinch said. "I could even see an idea where Faedo and him both pitch in the same game. But we've got some games before that to deal with before we worry about it."
Staying with Tigers?
Right-handed reliever José Cisnero, a seven-year MLB veteran, marched from the dugout to the bullpen before Thursday's series finale against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park, with his fellow relievers following behind him.
A few minutes earlier, the 48-hour waiver wire window closed at 1 p.m. Thursday. The Tigers placed Cisnero, an impending free agent, on waivers before Tuesday's game. If he had been claimed, his new team would have been responsible for paying the remainder of his $2.29 million salary.
But Cisnero wasn't claimed.
Six players, though, were claimed by contenders: The Cleveland Guardians added Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Matt Moore from the Los Angeles Angels; the Cincinnati Reds claimed Hunter Renfroe from the Angels and Harrison Bader from the Yankees; and the Seattle Mariners claimed Dominic Leone from the Angels.
The Tigers can keep Cisnero on their roster, which seems likely. He could be designated for assignment at some point before the end of the season to create space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
If Cisnero is designated for assignment, the Tigers will remain on the hook for the remainder of his salary, even though Cisnero can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo in favor of free agency because of his rights in the collective bargaining agreement as a player with more than five years of MLB service time.
The Tigers will add one pitcher and one position player before Friday's game against the White Sox as MLB active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. Top prospects Justyn-Henry Malloy and Colt Keith will not be promoted as part of the roster expansion.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez sits out two games as struggles pile up
