Tigers' A.J. Hinch on Benching Javier Baez: 'Message' to Team

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pulled shortstop Javier Baez in the third inning of Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays after the 30-year-old forgot how many outs were left and ran into a double play. 

“If you watch the last couple of series, we’ve made a number of mental mistakes, and the one thing we can control is our preparedness and our readiness,” said Hinch. “It’s a message to our whole team that we’ve got to clean up.”

Baez, who signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Tigers in December 2021, understood Hinch’s decision, saying:

“Obviously, we’ve got to show respect to the game. He took a decision, and I respect that. He’s the manager, and we’ve got to respect what he does.”

Hinch said Baez would return to the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The two-time All-Star is hitting just .122 with one RBI in 12 games for Detroit this season.

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