The Detroit Tigers have played to mixed results since returning from the 2025 MLB All-Star break. Although they notched their 60th win of the campaign on Sunday, dropping two of three games against the Texas Rangers wasn't the greatest look, leaving fans to wonder if the Tigers can quickly silence their doubters before this month's trade deadline arrives.
Even though they closed out their series against the Rangers with a win, the Tigers' latest victory wasn't without a casualty. Infielder/outfielder Javier Baez exited the game in the sixth injury with some left shoulder soreness, which was the same side he injured while facing the Cincinnati Reds last month.
Losing a versatile veteran like Baez for any amount of time is never great; however, it looks like the Tigers dodged a major bullet with this situation.
Tigers Avoid Disaster with Latest Javier Baez Injury Update
In a post-game interview, manager A.J. Hinch revealed to Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold that Baez admitted "he didn't feel right" during Sunday's contest. The good news is that the 32-year-old IF/OF later revealed that his injury isn't as bad as some fans feared.
"I was just trying to figure it out," Baez told reporters. "I didn't want to keep playing with soreness. It is sore a little bit, but we've been doing treatment today, and we'll do treatment (Monday), and we'll see how it feels."
Even if his situation isn't dire, throwing Baez back into the fire soon would be a mistake — especially if the Tigers don't want him to re-aggravate his injury. That's likely why Hinch & Co. later announced that Baez won't be active in Monday's showdown with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the starting lineup that MLive's Evan Woodbery shared.
Trey Sweeney will be handling shortstop duties, which is where Baez has started in 12 of his last 14 appearances.
Tigers today: pic.twitter.com/l9H7TsF6Nj
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) July 21, 2025
The Tigers don't need Baez's help to beat a lowly team like the Pirates, so it makes a ton of sense to give him the day off to heal. The former 2011 first-rounder is slashing .274/.308/.438 with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, nine walks, and three stolen bases in 81 games (274 at-bats), while his 2.0 WAR is the fourth-best in the Motor City, highlighting how important he'll be to Hinch's plans come the postseason.
For now, Tigers fans will continue monitoring Baez's situation and hope for more positive updates as the week goes on.