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.
Javier Báez got a late start out of the box watching his drive to LF that hit off the top of the wall for a double. Then he apparently forgot how many outs there were on Akil Baddoo's fly out to CF, resulting in an inning-ending 8-4 double play. The baserunning mishaps continue. pic.twitter.com/JJCDKWMiGk
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 13, 2023
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.
