Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez lands on injured list with lumbar spine inflammation
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez continues to suffer from pain in his lower back.
The Tigers placed Báez, who also continues to struggle at the plate, on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sunday, with lumbar spine inflammation. The 31-year-old doesn't like to make excuses for his poor performance, but he has managed low back issues for multiple years.
"It wasn't an easy decision for me," Báez said. "I want to be out there, but if I want to help the team in the long term, I got to do this and try to come back for the second half."
To replace Báez, the Tigers called up shortstop Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo.
"He's going to go under further evaluation with multiple doctors," manager A.J. Hinch said, "and see if we can curtail this soreness and his back issue. ... We feel like we have a handle on it, but we didn't feel like playing through it, nor did he."
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It's unclear how long Báez will be sidelined, but he referenced returning to the Tigers in the second half of the season. The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 16, though the official halfway point for the Tigers is June 27.
The Tigers and Báez decided to evaluate the lingering low back pain with an MRI test when Báez revealed he couldn't play in Sunday's series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers.
"It comes and goes," Báez said. "Obviously, they want to look at something deeper. We'll see."
In the 2024 season, Báez — an 11-year MLB veteran — is hitting .183 with one home run, six walks and 42 strikeouts across 53 games. His performance has gotten worse in each of his three seasons with the Tigers, combining to hit .223 with a .607 OPS.
Báez has been worth minus-6 defensive runs saved during his time as the Tigers' primary shortstop, spanning more than 2,500 innings. He is worth minus-2 DRS in 2024.
"I don't want to say I couldn't play, but my body doesn't let me play right now," Báez said. "My swing doesn't let my body go back to the pitcher or to second base as I want in my approach. It keeps pulling to third (base). During my swing, it gives me a pinch that I've been getting used to, but I think it's time to take a deeper look at it and see where it goes from there."
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Báez is scheduled to visit with doctors in Florida.
He plans to visit the Tigers' spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida, for at least a couple of days, and if he gets cleared by the doctors to return to baseball activities, he expects to complete his rehabilitation with the Tigers at Comerica Park.
The Tigers signed Báez to a six-year, $140 million contract in December 2021. The contract pays Báez $25 million in 2024, then a total of $73 million from 2025-27.
"One of the things about Javy, throughout all of this, has been his persistence on being in the lineup and being available and giving whatever he can," Hinch said. "He wants to play through everything, from the peaks and valleys of performance to back inflammation to pain to things that happen on the field. I don't have a measure on what is impacting him, but I know I'm happy he told us so that we can try to get to the bottom of this and get him healthy."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez lands on 10-day injured list
