ARLINGTON, TX — Back on June 14, Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez injured his left shoulder while attempting to score from first base on a hit to right-center field. He was thrown out at home by Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz in what turned out to be a routine play. Báez stayed down briefly after a head-first slide and later revealed he had tweaked his shoulder.
“My shoulder kind of got stuck,” Báez said on July 20, over a month later. “It’s been bothering me, but I feel good. We’ve been treating it.”
During Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers, Báez left in the sixth inning, replaced by Trey Sweeney. There was no obvious injury on the field, but Báez said he felt discomfort in the same shoulder while playing.
Despite his exit, the Tigers edged out a 2-1 victory at Globe Life Field, ending their season-long six-game losing streak. Báez went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before coming out.
Manager A.J. Hinch didn’t go into specifics about the issue.
“Javy came in and told us he didn’t feel right,” Hinch said postgame. “I asked what was wrong, and he just repeated that he didn’t feel right. So I pulled him.”
Báez later explained he didn’t want to push through shoulder soreness without knowing exactly what was going on.
“It’s sore,” he said. “But we’ve been doing treatment today and will continue tomorrow. We’ll see how it feels.”
So far in 2025, Báez has bounced back impressively, hitting .274 with 10 homers and a .746 OPS over 81 games, solidifying his spot as Detroit’s everyday shortstop. The 32-year-old earned his third All-Star nod and is a strong candidate for AL Comeback Player of the Year.
As for a potential trip to the injured list?
“Not right now,” Báez said. “I don’t think so. I should improve day by day. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”
Need more signs that he’s fine?
He led the postgame high-five line, joked around in the clubhouse, and moved his left shoulder freely without any visible discomfort.
“I think it’s all connected to the muscles around my shoulder,” Báez said. “But as you can see, I’ve got good mobility. It feels pretty good.
