JAVIER BÁEZ NEWS

Activated but not in lineup The Tigers activated Baez from the bereavement list Thursday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Impact Baez has been away this week while tending to other matters but will be active for the beginning of the team's four-game series against the Royals. He is not in Thursday's lineup, as the Tigers are giving Ryan Kreidler a start at shortstop.

AUGUST 1 • ROTOWIRE

Fermin leads Royals against the Tigers after 4-hit game

The Kansas City Royals play the Detroit Tigers after Freddy Fermin had four hits against the White Sox on Wednesday

AUGUST 1 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Goes on family emergency list The Tigers placed Baez (personal) on the family medical emergency list Monday.

Impact By rule, Baez can miss 3-to-7 days while on the list, though it's unclear how long the Tigers are preparing for him to be away from the team. Ryan Kreidler was called up from Triple-A Toledo to replace Baez on the active roster and should see reps at shortstop along with Zach McKinstry.

JULY 29 • ROTOWIRE

Tigers square off against the Twins with series tied 1-1

The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins play on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series

JULY 28 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Blasts homer in third straight game Baez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Twins.

Impact Baez has now gone deep in three straight games for the first time since 2022 and the third time overall in his career. After only going deep once in his first 63 games this season, Baez has seemed to have found his power stroke, at least temporarily. The 31-year-old still has a ways to go to be trusted for fantasy purposes with a .491 OPS for the season, but he's shown in the past that he can get hot fast.

JULY 28 • ROTOWIRE

Blasts homer in third straight game Baez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Twins.

Impact Baez homered again on Saturday, and he's now gone deep in three straight games for the first time since 2022 and the third time overall in his career. After only going deep once in his first 63 games this season, Baez has seemed to have found his power stroke. The 31-year-old still has a ways to go to be trusted for fantasy purposes with a .491 OPS for the season, but he's shown in the past that he can get hot fast.

JULY 28 • ROTOWIRE

Skubal leads Tigers to 7-2 win over Twins in final start before the trade deadline

Tarik Skubal gave up five hits and two runs in seven innings in his last start before the trade deadline and the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2

JULY 28 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Homers in consecutive games Baez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Twins.

Impact Baez took Pablo Lopez deep in the third inning after providing all the Tigers offense in Thursday's win with a three-run blast. Baez has now homered in back-to-back games for the first time since 2023. Prior to these two homers, Baez had not gone deep since April 14 in what has been a rough year for him. The 31-year-old is hitting .179 with three homers and a .474 OPS through 65 games this season.

JULY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in consecutive games Baez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Twins.

Impact Baez took Pablo Lopez deep in the third inning after providing all the Tigers' offense in Thursday's win with a three-run blast. Baez has now homered in back-to-back games for the first time since 2023. Prior to these two homers, he had not gone deep since April 14 in what has been a rough year for him. The 31-year-old is hitting .179 with three homers and a .474 OPS through 65 games.

JULY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Byron Buxton homers and doubles to lead Twins to 9-3 win over Tigers

Byron Buxton hit a home run and a double, Christian Vázquez had a homer and three hits and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 9-3

JULY 27 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hits key home run Thursday Baez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Guardians.

Impact Baez's second inning blast against Cleveland starter Gavin Williams provided all the offense in the game for both teams. It was just the second long ball of the season for the shortstop, who has been scuffling mightily with a .177 average and .460 OPS. As further evidence of his current status, Baez batted ninth for the Tigers. It's not what you'd expect from a $140 million player, and Baez doesn't warrant fantasy attention until he can display a sustained level of positive performance, which doesn't seem likely this year.

JULY 26 • ROTOWIRE

Javier Báez hits a 3-run homer, Tigers blank Guardians 3-0

Javier Báez hit a three-run homer in the second inning and six pitchers combined on a four-hitter, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the AL Central-leading Cleveland...

JULY 25 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Not in Tuesday's lineup Baez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game at Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Impact Baez started the previous three games after missing a couple contests due to a back injury, and he'll sit Tuesday while in the midst of a 6-for-48 slump. Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat eighth for Detroit.

JULY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Back in action Saturday Baez (back) will start at shortstop and bat seventh Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Impact A back issue forced Baez out of last Saturday's game against the Dodgers and continued to keep him out of the lineup through Friday, but the injury now appears to have subsided. The 31-year-old finished the first half of the season with a career-worst .459 OPS through 214 plate appearances, though he remains locked in as Detroit's primary shortstop.

JULY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Remains out of Detroit lineup Baez (back) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game in Toronto.

Impact Baez missed the final contest before the All-Star break, and the time off wasn't enough to get him back in the lineup. The Tigers had expressed optimism earlier this week that Baez could avoid the injured list, but it's not a good sign that five days of rest was insufficient. Zach McKinstry will handle shortstop Friday.

JULY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Remains out of Detroit lineup Baez (back) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game in Toronto.

Impact Baez missed the final contest before the All-Star break and the extra rest this week wasn't enough to ready him for the start of the second half. The Tigers had expressed optimism earlier this week that Baez could avoid the injured list, but it's not a good sign that five days of rest was insufficient. Zach McKinstry will handle shortstop Friday.

JULY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Could avoid IL stint Baez (back) is not currently slated to be placed on the injured list, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Impact Baez isn't starting Sunday against the Dodgers after being removed early from Saturday's contest due to a lower-back injury. He's available only in an emergency situation Sunday, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. However, manager A.J. Hinch described Baez's outlook as "encouraging" and said that the veteran infielder is in better spirits, and it appears that he may be good to go when play resumes Friday following the All-Star break.

JULY 14 • ROTOWIRE

Out of lineup Sunday Baez (back) isn't in Sunday's starling lineup versus the Dodgers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Impact Baez was lifted early from Saturday's extra-inning win due to a lower-back injury, and he won't start Sunday's final game before the All-Star break. In his place, Zack McKinstry is starting at shortstop and batting seventh. If Baez doesn't enter off the bench Sunday, he'll have until Detroit's next game -- Friday, July 19 -- to recover.

JULY 14 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with back injury Baez was removed from Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to a lower-back injury, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Impact Baez reportedly had no problems playing in the field, though his back prevented him from feeling comfortable while hitting. There's no telling if he'll be available for Sunday's series finale, but the Tigers may take a cautious approach and sit him down heading into the break.

JULY 13 • ROTOWIRE

Hitting bench Wednesday Baez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Impact After coming off the 10-day injured list Monday, Baez started at shortstop in both of the first two contests of the series, going 1-for-6 with a double between the two contests. Though he's expected to see the bulk of the starts at shortstop now that he's healthy again, Baez will give way Wednesday to utility man Zach McKinstry.

JULY 10 • ROTOWIRE

Guardians Announcer Roasted Javier Baez for Thinking Hit-By-Pitch Was Intentional Cleveland Guardians announcer Matt Underwood savagely roasted Detroit Tigers infielder Javier Baez for thinking he was hit by a pitch on pur...

JULY 10 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Activated, starting Monday The Tigers reinstated Baez (back) from the 10-day injured list Monday. He'll start at shortstop and bat seventh in the Tigers' series opener versus the Guardians.

Impact Detroit optioned infielder Ryan Kreidler to Triple-A Toledo to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Baez, who missed a month of action while recovering from lumbar spine inflammation. Baez proved his health while playing in rehab games with Toledo on four consecutive days last week and will immediately step back into an everyday role in the middle infield for Detroit. Before landing on the shelf, Baez had been among baseball's least productive regulars, accruing a .183/.209/.247 slash line with one home run and six stolen bases over 53 games. Despite his reputation and past production, the 31-year-old looks to be little more than an accumulator -- and a low-end one, at that -- rather than a true fantasy asset at this stage of his career.

JULY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Activation expected Monday Baez (back) has joined the Tigers at Comerica Park and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to their game Monday versus the Guardians, Chris McCosky of Th...

Impact Baez recently played four rehab games with Triple-A Toledo, going 4-for-12 with a home run. The veteran shortstop has been sidelined since mid-June with lumbar spine inflammation and will return to an ugly .183/.209/.247 line. It's not yet clear what the Tigers' corresponding move will be.

JULY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Launches rehab assignment Baez (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

Impact Baez has been out since June 11 while dealing with lumbar inflammation, but he now appears to be on the cusp of returning to the major-league roster. The shortstop will likely play in multiple games with Toledo before being activated from the 10-day injured list. Baez has struggled to a .183/.209/.247 slash line with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored and six stolen bases over 53 games this season, not providing much value to fantasy managers.

JULY 3 • ROTOWIRE

On cusp of rehab assignment Baez (back) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Joe Reedy of the Associated Press reports.

Impact Manager A.J. Hinch had previously said June 25 that Baez wasn't on track to return from the 10-day injured list before the Tigers' ongoing road trip concludes July 7, but the veteran shortstop looks like he could be an option to play during the final week before the All-Star break. The Tigers will likely wait and see how Baez responds to at least a few rehab games with Toledo this week before determining his next steps. Baez had produced a career-worst .456 OPS over 196 plate appearances before being placed on the IL on June 11 with lumbar spine inflammation.

JUNE 30 • ROTOWIRE