Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (hip), who was moved to the 60-day injured list on Monday, will have season-ending arthroscopic right-hip surgery next week. Another hugely disappointing season comes to an end early for Baez. The 31-year-old Puerto Rican infielder has somehow gotten worse in each year in Detroit and will finish the 2024 campaign with a .184/.221/.294 slash line with a career-worst .516 OPS, six home runs, 37 RBI, eight steals and 25 runs scored in 289 plate appearances over 80 games played. Given how bad he's been in his tenure with Detroit, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Tigers move in another direction heading into 2025. With Baez now out for the rest of this year, rookie Trey Sweeney should see most of the starts at the 6, although Ryan Kreidler could also mix in for the Tigers.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (undisclosed) is undergoing some tests on Friday for an undisclosed injury and could need to be placed on the 10-day injured list, depending on the results of his tests. Infielder Ryan Kreidler will be with the Tigers on Friday night in Chicago for the series against the Cubs just in case the Tigers eventually put Baez on the IL. The 31-year-old Baez continues to be a source of major disappointment for the Tigers and isn't even on the fantasy radar in mixed leagues at this point. The Puerto Rican infielder has hit rock bottom in 2024, slashing .184/.221/.294 with a .516 OPS, six home runs, 37 RBI, eight steals and 69 strikeouts in 289 plate appearances over 80 games played. Rookie infielder Trey Sweeney had already been sharing playing time with Baez at the 6, so if Baez hits the shelf, he'll see even more playing time in the near future.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old made his return to Wrigley Field on Tuesday. The fans gave Baez a warm welcome, but that didn't help him as he went hitless with four strikeouts. That performance should shock no one considering Baez is hitting .182 with six home runs and 37 RBI in 79 games this season. In his place, Trey Sweeney will cover shortstop and bat eighth versus right-hander Jameson Taillon. Sweeney recently earned a call-up to the big leagues. He has only played in two games, but was hitting .267 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI in 107 games in Triple-A this season. He probably won't be a viable streaming option, but he should give the Tigers lineup more production than Baez.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The organization has not said why Baez has been pulled from the lineup yet. Regardless, his absence from the lineup won't matter much considering Baez has been awful this season. Zach McKinstry will take over at shortstop and bat eighth versus right-hander Bryan Woo. McKinstry hasn't been much better with the bat as he's hitting .202 with 14 RBI against right-handed pitching this season. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option for Wednesday's slate. There should be more information on Baez after the game.UPDATE: Baez is dealing with right-hip discomfort.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (neck) was a late scratch from the lineup for Thursday's game at T-Mobile Park versus the hosting Seattle Mariners due to neck soreness. The lefty-hitting Zach McKinstry replaced Baez at shortstop for Detroit, while Ryan Vilade joined the lineup in right field to bat ninth against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Baez should be deemed day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the hosting San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. The 31-year-old former All-Star continues to be a complete disaster for both the Tigers and his fantasy managers in 2024, slashing .179/.221/.272 with just four home runs, 11 doubles, 33 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 246 at-bats this year. McKinstry and Andy Ibanez would likely share at-bats at short if Baez's absence extends beyond Thursday's series finale.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Monday that they placed infielder Javier Baez on the medical emergency/bereavement list and recalled infielder Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. Baez will be out for three to seven days, but the Tigers believe he'll be back on the short end of that timeline and be ready to go for Thursday's contest against the division-rival Kansas City Royals. With the 31-year-old away from the team on Monday, Kreidler made the start at the 6 against the Cleveland Guardians and went 1-for-2 in the 8-4 loss. Some combination of Kreidler and Zach McKinstry should see starts at short until Baez is back with Detroit. Baez has hit rock bottom in 2024 and is currently slashing .178/.210/.274 with four homers, 32 RBI and six steals in 230 at-bats.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is getting a day off on Tuesday as the team faces the hosting division-rival Cleveland Guardians. Baez missed the first game out of the All-Star break last Friday due to a minor back injury but then played in the next three games, going 2-for-12 (.167) with six strikeouts and a run scored. Things just keep getting worse for the former two-time All-Star. Baez has gone 4-for-27 (.148) with a double, two walks and seven strikeouts in nine games in the month of July and is slashing a miserable .178/.212/.239 on the year with only one home run, 25 RBI and six stolen bases. If the 31-year-old Puerto Rican infielder doesn't start showing signs of the life at the plate soon, he could start opening on the bench more often in favor of Zach McKinstry, who is starting at the 6 and batting eighth on Tuesday against Guardians right-hander Xzavion Curry.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (back) is back at shortstop and is hitting seventh for the Tigers on Saturday against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Baez will be back in Detroit's lineup for the first time since last Saturday. He had the All-Star break to rest up this week but still wasn't in the lineup for the series opener on Friday in Toronto to kick off the second half of the season. The 31-year-old has avoided the injured list, though, and will be available to fantasy managers in AL-only leagues on Saturday. It seems like ages ago that Baez was a two-time All-Star for the Chicago Cubs. He's declined each year since joining Detroit in 2022 and is currently slashing .179/.215/.244 with just one homer, 25 RBI and six steals in 59 games in 2024. Baez has hit .250 with two RBI in just four career at-bats against Kikuchi.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (back) is still out of the team's starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays. Zach McKinstry will make the start at the 6 and will hit sixth for the Tigers against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Baez will miss his second straight game after being held out of the lineup for the final game of the first half of the season due to a back injury. The 31-year-old still isn't ready to roll following the All-Star break, but the Tigers are hopeful that Baez can avoid going on the injured list. The Puerto Rican shortstop continues to disappoint fantasy managers and isn't even worth rostering in mixed leagues at this point. He enters the second half of 2024 with a putrid .179/.215/.244 slash line, just one home run, 25 RBI and six thefts in 59 games this year.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (back) will not start in Sunday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers after being removed from Saturday's contest early with a lower-back injury. The struggling Baez will now have the All-Star break to rest up and could return next Friday for the start of the second half of the season. The 31-year-old Puerto Rican infielder has declined in every year since joining the Tigers in 2022 and will finish the first half with a putrid .179/.215/.244 slash line with a .459 OPS, only one home run, 25 RBI, six stolen bases and 43 strikeouts in 214 plate appearances for Detroit. He's become unplayable in all mixed fantasy leagues and hasn't shown any signs of a turnaround. Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop on Sunday and will bat in the seven-hole to close out the first half.UPDATE: There are no immediate plans to put Baez on the injured list. Manager A.J. Hinch said Baez was in better spirits on Sunday.

The Detroit Tigers reinstated infielder Javier Baez (back) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and also recalled outfielder Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo. Baez will immediately return to the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Gavin Williams starting at shortstop and batting seventh. Baddoo will be in left field while hitting in the eight-hole. Baez will return to Detroit after missing the last month with lumbar-spine inflammation. Despite being awful at the plate again this year, the 31-year-old should see regular starts at the 6 for the Tigers moving forward. Baez has been unplayable in mixed fantasy leagues and will return to a .183/.209/.247 slash line with just one home run and six stolen bases in 53 games in 2024.

Veteran shortstop Javier Baez (back) hopes to begin a rehab assignment this coming week for the Detroit Tigers. Baez is hitting .183 with one home run, 25 RBI, and 15 runs. He is expected to report to Triple-A Toledo on Monday. Manager A.J Hinch reported that if all goes well this week, the team expects Baez back on the major league roster for the week before the All-Star break. Baez has been a disappointment for the Tigers who hope to recoup some of their investment if Baez can play better in the second half of the season.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (spine) is still rehabbing and doing baseball activity at the club's spring training facility in Tampa. Baez isn't expected to be with the Tigers on their upcoming three-city road trip, and manager AJ Hinch said on Tuesday that he's facing an "extensive" minor-league rehab assignment once he's cleared for competition. Baez is recovering from lumbar spine inflammation and is likely to remain sidelined through the mid-July All-Star break. Considering the 31-year-old former All-Star was slashing a pathetic .183/.209/.247 with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored, and six stolen bases through 186 at-bats as Detroit's primary shortstop this year, he can be left on waiver wires in the majority of fantasy leagues.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez will start on the bench for Game 2 of the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Zach McKinstry will make the start at shortstop in his place and bat eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes. Baez heads to the bench after going hitless in three at-bats with a walk and a run scored in the 8-0 Game 1 win. While the 31-year-old has been better in the month of May, he's still impossible to recommend in most mixed fantasy leagues as one of the worst regulars in baseball. The Puerto Rican veteran came into Wednesday's games hitting a poor .203/.228/.278 with a homer, 23 RBI, six stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 158 at-bats. McKinstry, who has gone 14-for-73 (.192) this year with no homers, should be ignored against the hard-throwing Skenes.

The Detroit Tigers currently have no plans to bench struggling shortstop Javier Baez. "He's going to play, a lot," manager A.J. Hinch said. The two-time All-Star in his prime, Baez is hitting just .167 with a homer, five walks and 27 strikeouts in 37 games this year. The 31-year-old has been worth minus-one defensive runs saved at shortstop and has been the worst player in baseball when his offensive struggles are added in. His OPS has dropped in each of his three seasons in Detroit, from .671 in 2022 to .593 last year and to .422 so far in 2024. The 11-year MLB veteran had 31 extra-base hits in 136 games last year but has just five extra-base hits this year, putting him on pace for 18 extra-base hits in 2024. The return of Gio Urshela from the injured list could take some starts away from Baez at shortstop. Until Baez shows some signs of turning it around, he's basically unplayable in all fantasy formats.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the starting lineup on Saturday versus the New York Yankees in the Bronx. The struggling Baez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday night's walk-off loss and is now slashing a miserable .183/.228/.258 with one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, six runs scored, five walks and 22 strikeouts in 101 plate appearances over his 28 games in 2024. The 31-year-old free swinger has fallen far since his last All-Star appearance in 2019 with the Chicago Cubs, and he's been a massive bust since joining the Tigers in 2022. About the only thing fantasy managers can count on him for now is some modest stolen base numbers. Zach McKinstry is starting at the 6 on Saturday and is hitting eighth against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. With Baez resting, Zach McKinstry will get the nod at shortstop and will hit seventh in the lineup against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. It seems like ages ago that Baez was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs. He's really fallen on hard times in Detroit and is hitting just .193/.233/.277 in 25 games this year with just one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, four walks and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. Now that Baez's power production is down -- he hit just nine long balls in 2023 -- it's hard to justify starting him in mixed fantasy leagues. McKinstry is hitting .220 (9-for-41) and doesn't have a homer this year, but he has a solo home run in six career at-bats against Gibson.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Kansas City Royals for undisclosed reasons. Zach McKinstry is now starting in his place and will hit seventh in the batting order against Royals right-hander Michael Wacha. Baez will start on the bench after starting the team's previous seven games. If he's dealing with an injury, we'll update you on condition when we get word. The 31-year-old free swinger has been a disappointment pretty much ever since he landed in Detroit in 2022 and he is off to another bad start in 2024, hitting .193/.233/.277 with only one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. McKinstry will be a poor sleeper option in DFS at shortstop. He's never faced Wacha in his career.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the New York Mets. In his place, Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat ninth versus Mets right-hander Adrian Houser. Baez could already use a break early in the year after going just 3-for-16 (.188) with an RBI, stolen base, run scored and six strikeouts in his first four games in 2024. The 31-year-old has fallen far since signing a six-year, $140 million deal with Detroit before the 2022 season. About the only thing Baez did well last year was to lower his strikeout rate a bit. McKinstry is a low-upside dart throw at the shortstop position in DFS while hitting at the bottom of the order. He's never faced Houser in his career.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez went 0-for-3 versus the New York Yankees on Sunday. Baez is now hitless in his first 11 at-bats with no walks in the Grapefruit League. Speaking earlier in the offseason, Baez noted that he strengthened his conditioning after dealing with back and core injuries in his first two seasons for the Tigers. The 31-year-old is certain to get plenty of playing time in Detroit this year, but much of that can be due to the six-year, $140 million deal that he signed, in which he is in year three of. Due to past success, Baez is always worth keeping an eye on, but outside of deeper leagues, the former MVP candidate can remain nothing more than a late-round dart throw or watch-list candidate.