AJ Hinch Reveals Reason Behind Second Straight Off Day for Javier Baez

Last month was a struggle for Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez, proven by how he batted .159 in May compared to .296 in April. The 29-year-old’s slump resulted in him sitting out of Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins and now it’s been revealed that he’ll also be absent for Thursday’s rematch. 

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch commented on his decision Thursday morning, saying that he’s confident Baez can turn things around, but giving him a second day off also has to do with the play of fellow shortstop Harold Castro.   

Javier Baez Tigers News

Castro has played well throughout the 2022 MLB season but has really picked things up over the last week or so. He’s batting .435 over his last six games and has recorded 10 hits across that stretch, along with three home runs, five RBIs and 22 total bases. Needless to say, it’s easy to see why Hinch doesn’t need to rush Baez back. 

As great as Castro has been, the Tigers would prefer if Baez could live up to the six-year, $140 million contract they gave him this offseason. The two-time MLB All-Star had 31 home runs and 87 RBIs in 138 games in 2021 but is only on pace for 10 HRs and 45 RBIs if he played the same number of games this season. 

In Baez’s defense, he did spend some time on the injury list earlier this season with a thumb issue, meaning there’s always a chance that it could linger and affect his hitting. If that’s the case, he needs to take all the time he can until he’s confident that he’s fully healed. 

Twins vs Tigers Odds (June 2)

Baez’s second straight absence doesn’t appear to be hampering the Tigers too much as they lead the Twins, 1-0, at the top of the second inning. Live odds are still updating, but Detroit was the +116 moneyline underdog before the game began, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.