The Detroit Tigers are rolling into a new week of baseball with the best record in the American League, fresh off a three-game sweep of the highly-touted Baltimore Orioles. They’re doing it with everything clicking: elite pitching, airtight defense, and clutch hits when they matter most.
One of the most surprising sparks behind this surge? Javier Báez.
For the better part of two seasons, Báez’s six-year, $140 million contract looked like an anchor around the Tigers’ neck. Injuries, slumps, and defensive miscues piled up, and by the end of 2024, Báez had become an afterthought in Detroit’s future plans. After a hip injury cut short his season and Trey Sweeney emerged as a legit option at shortstop, Báez entered 2025 just hoping to find a role — any role — on the roster.
What he’s done since has flipped the script in a way almost no one saw coming.
Báez hasn’t just survived — he’s thrived. He’s hitting .301/.346/.370 through 23 games and has been even hotter over the last week, slashing .429/.467/.571. On Sunday, it was his two-run double that jumpstarted Detroit’s latest win, and he wasn’t done there. Báez also shifted from shortstop to center field mid-game — the first time in his career — showcasing the kind of versatility that A.J. Hinch is determined to squeeze out of his roster.
“When you frame it to Javy, you know that it’s all about winning. That resonates with him,” Hinch says. “He’s a winning player. He makes winning plays, winning decisions. And just because a stat line isn’t perfect doesn’t make you a non-winning player.”
Báez’s willingness to adapt has been crucial. Once seen strictly as a shortstop, he’s now embracing a utility role — part-time shortstop, part-time third baseman, and, apparently, a center fielder when the team needs it. “If I stay healthy, I’ll do whatever, man,” Báez says. “I can even catch if you need me — and A.J. knows it.”
Báez Embracing the New Normal
There’s no sugarcoating the past. Báez was statistically one of the worst hitters in baseball the last two years, and Detroit’s investment in him will never be a “good” deal. But Evan Woodberry of MLive nails it, writing, “Sunday’s game offered a blueprint for how he could remain a productive contributor rather than a roster albatross during the back end of his contract — and his career.” He’s even flashed his defensive prowess in center field, of all places.
The Tigers aren’t asking Báez to carry the lineup. They’re asking him to stay healthy, stay engaged, and find ways to contribute — especially against left-handed pitching, where his career OPS is a strong .823.
It’s probably too late at this point to declare Báez fully reborn, but he’s clearly found a way to make himself valuable again. His defense has been excellent, his energy infectious, and his bat, for the first time in a long time, isn’t a total liability.
“I had a great game yesterday, and we won the game as a whole team,” Báez said with a grin. “We’ve got a really good group.”
For a player who’s worn the weight of his contract every day for two years, this new chapter feels lighter — and a lot more fun to watch.
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