Detroit Tigers Announce Star Shortstop Will Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
There has been a clear youth movement put into place by the Detroit Tigers to close out the year, and so far, that has resulted in them playing some of their best baseball of the season.
Entering Monday's contest against the Chicago White Sox, there was already a lot of anticipation surrounding the possibility they could get back to .500, but when it was announced that another one of their star prospects had been called up for his debut, that added even more excitement.
Selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, Ty Madden is now making his Major League debut for the Tigers, getting handed the ball to make his first career start.
The 16th-ranked prospect in their pipeline hasn't necessarily blown anyone away at the Triple-A level with a 7.97 ERA across his 18 outings this year, but the organization clearly wants to see what he can do in the big leagues.
However, Madden's debut might be overshadowed in the build up to first pitch based on some news that was reported about one of Detroit's stars.
According to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, Javier Baez will undergo season-ending surgery on his right hip.
Placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 23, he originally had the diagnosis of lumbar spine and hip inflammation. Further testing must have revealed more severe damage, because the high-priced slugger will now be out for the remainder of the year.
No timetable has been revealed about when he might return to the field in 2025, which complicates the Tigers' plans heading into the winter.
Baez signed a six-year, $140 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, and has completely flopped.
His best performance came in the first year of that deal, finishing with an OPS+ nine points below the league average of 100, and a bWAR of 2.4.
But since then, his productivity has continued to fall off a cliff, putting up an OPS+ of 63 last season and 44 in 80 games this year. His bWAR is -1.2, which would be the worst of his career.
While nobody is ever rooting for someone to get injured, especially when it results in something serious like surgery, Baez being on the sideline will give Trey Sweeney, their recently acquired top prospect from the Jack Flaherty trade, more opportunities to get Major League reps.
The 24-year-old will likely be handed the reins for the rest of the year if he can perform well, something that could put himself into the mix to be named the 2025 Opening Day starter.
BRAD WAKAI