The Tigers placed Javier Báez and Casey Mize on the injured list Wednesday afternoon and recalled Jace Jung and Enmanuel De Jesus in their places, a move that comes one day after Báez was carted off the field with a right ankle injury and Mize exited after just three innings.
Báez hurt his right ankle while trying to avoid a tag in Tuesday’s loss to the Braves. Mize left after fielding a dribbler in the third inning. Detroit did not have much margin to absorb both losses, and Jung’s return gives the club another left-handed bat after he hit.222 in 99 at-bats at Triple-A Toledo. He has played first base, second base and third base, but was brought back mostly for the bat.
Jung’s path back has been uneven. He is a.190 hitter in 55 career MLB games, and the Tigers have used him as they try to keep the lineup moving while pieces come and go. Báez had filled in all over the diamond this season, appearing in 17 games at shortstop, 10 games in center field and three games at second base, which matters because Detroit now has Kevin McGonigle as the only true shortstop on the roster.
That in itself is not the only problem. Zach McKinstry is also on the injured list with left hip and abdominal inflammation, though he could return within the next week, and Justin Verlander remains out with left hip inflammation. Until those players are back, the Tigers may have to lean on bullpen games and their pitching chaos approach to cover innings while the roster thins around them.
For De Jesus, the recall is a quick reversal after he was sent down seven days ago following a rough start to the season. He posted a 10.13 ERA in his first six regular-season games, but Detroit needed another arm with Mize sidelined and the pitching staff under pressure. The Tigers do not need perfect depth right now. They need bodies who can hold the game together long enough for the injured list to start shrinking.
