Detroit Tigers start Zach McKinstry over Javier Báez; Ryan Kreidler hit by pitch (again)

The Detroit Tigers didn't include Javier Báez, a two-time All-Star shortstop who continues to struggle at the plate, in Sunday's starting lineup as a strategic decision, doing so for the first time in the 2024 season.

Although Báez wasn't in the lineup for Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Mets in New York, that was a scheduled off day that carried over to the doubleheader after back-to-back rainouts. This time, however, the Tigers wanted a different player, Zach McKinstry, playing shortstop on defense and batting eighth on offense against Oakland Athletics right-hander Joe Boyle.

"We're trying to keep everybody in the mix," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We're also trying to keep some guys fresh and play a few matchups here and there."

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Boyle is a bad matchup for Báez.

That's because Boyle pairs a 97 mph fastball with an 89 mph swing-and-miss slider, a terrible combination for Báez. His timing has been late on high-velocity fastballs because of his long swing, and he chases too many down-and-away sliders.

McKinstry, a left-handed hitter, hit .270 with an 11.6% whiff rate against four-seam fastballs inside the strike zone from right-handed pitchers last season, whereas Báez, a right-handed hitter, hit just .185 with a 25.8% whiff rate against four-seam fastballs inside the zone from righties.

"Moving him around the field is the idea spot for him, in my opinion," Hinch said of McKinstry, "so we're mixing and matching him. We chose today to sit Javy and play him, but somebody different probably is going to sit every time Zach starts, and usually it's somebody different that's sitting. We want to keep him in the lineup when it best suits the chance to win."

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In seven games, Báez is hitting .154 with zero extra-base hits, zero walks and eight strikeouts.

He didn't start against Boyle last season, either.

Ryan Kreidler injures hand

Shortstop Ryan Kreidler injured his right hand in Thursday's game with Triple-A Toledo and hasn't been in the lineup since the injury. The Mud Hens placed him on the injured list Sunday afternoon.

He was hit in the hand by an 88.1 mph cutter.

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Hinch said Kreidler is still undergoing tests.

Kreidler, 26, is an elite defender at shortstop. He had a tremendous spring training, hitting .306 with two home runs, eight walks and 11 strikeouts across 45 plate appearances in 20 games. But he hadn't recorded a hit through 12 plate appearances in four games in Triple-A Toledo, with one walk and four strikeouts.

In 2022, Kreidler fractured the fifth metacarpal on his right hand and underwent surgery. He also underwent core muscle surgery in 2023. The injuries limited him to a combined 161 games in the 2022-23 seasons.

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Who's in left?

Kerry Carpenter is confined to right field when he isn't the designated hitter, and Matt Vierling is a backup option at all three positions, but what happens when Riley Greene, Mark Canha and Parker Meadows are in the outfield at the same time, specifically at Comerica Park?

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It'll be Meadows in center field, Greene in left field and Canha in right field.

"I like having the glove side to the line, so a left-handed (Greene) left fielder and a right-handed (Canha) right fielder," Hinch said. "It's a small, subtle characteristic that if you could draw it up perfectly, for me, it'd be like that. The other part of it is this is a really big left field and left-center field, so I feel like I have two center fielders. Well, Parker in general in two center fielders. Parker plus Riley in the biggest area, we are looking into whether that's the best configuration."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers started Zach McKinstry over Javier Báez on Sunday