Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jelani Scott

MLB Player Disciplined by Team After Horrendous Baserunning Mistake

Javier Báez did not finish Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays after the Tigers shortstop was benched following a lackluster performance on his first at-bat.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch elected to sit Báez, who entered the matchup in the midst of a horrible hitting slump, after the second inning due to a string of baserunning mistakes during his first plate appearance, according to Chris McCoskey of The Detroit News

Báez stepped to the plate looking to get off to a strong start after leadoff hitter Spencer Torkelson struck out. On the third pitch of his at-bat, Báez recorded a double for his first extra-base hit of the season, but the former All-Star drew criticism after he got a late start out of the box while watching the ball hit off the top of the left-field wall. 

Báez’s questionable effort continued after he appeared to forget how many outs Detroit had while on the base paths, which resulted in an inning-ending double play on a fly out to center field by outfielder Akil Baddoo. Hinch and Báez were reportedly seen talking in the tunnel shortly after, eventually leading the Tigers to move third baseman Nick Maton to shortstop and Jonathan Schoop coming in to play third.

Báez’s embarrassing mistakes on Thursday night add to what has been a rough start to the 2023 season for the two-time All-Star and former World Series champion. With his night against Toronto ending much sooner than expected, Báez maintained his position as one of the worst hitters in baseball. Through 12 games, the 10-year veteran is slashing .122/.182/.146 with three walks and eight strikeouts.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.