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The Detroit Tigers got bad injury news recently as starting pitcher Casey Mize exited Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels with a groin injury. But they are getting good injury news on shortstop Javier Baez, according to manager AJ Hinch.
Hinch recently revealed that Baez is getting set to go on a rehab assignment to their Low-A affiliate Lakeland. That is good news, as Baez has been out since April 28 with an ankle injury after suffering the injury against the Atlanta Braves.
Baez has been out for almost three months now and to see him go on a rehab assignment now after that scary injury, is a blessing in disguise. It seems like every time the Tigers have someone go down with an injury, they get another player back from a different injury.
Baez was slashing .256/.280/.397 on the year which is good for an OPS of .677. Not too great of numbers this year so far in limited time for the veteran shortstop.
But Baez also slashed two home runs and drove in six runs for the Tigers before his injury in Atlanta. And the Tigers will definitely welcome Baez back to a lineup that has been mashing for quite some time now.
It will likely take several rehab games at each affiliate for Baez before the Tigers decide to activate him. If that is the case, he might not return till August at some point, if not September.
Getting Baez Back in the Lineup Would Help for a Playoff Run in October
The Detroit Tigers, for a while, looked like they might sell at the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline because they were playing so poorly. But the Tigers have gotten back in the wildcard race and are within a few games of the final American League wildcard spot.
And with that being said, and getting Baez and potentially Gleyber Torres back soon, if the Tigers were to have their full offensive lineup back, teams would be scared. The Tigers have been mashing with guys like Kevin McGonigle, Dillon Dingler, Kerry Carpenter and others.
Baez has been out for quite some time with his injury, so it might take a minute for his bat to get back up to speed. But if he can get back into this lineup and find his bat sooner rather than later, it would really help to a potential push for the playoffs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/tigers/onsi as The Tigers Just Got Encouraging News on Javier Báez.
