Javier Báez surprised his Detroit Tigers teammates when he walked into the Progressive Field clubhouse on Monday before Game 2 of the ALDS in Cleveland.
“I saw him walk in, and, I mean, everybody in the training room kind of went nuts, just him walking in,” Matt Vierling said. “Everybody loves Javy. You know, he's such a good presence for us. He's a great guy. And just to have him around and for him to make the effort to drive over and come to the game, you know, that meant a lot to us."
Báez, 31, has been on the injured list since Aug. 23 with lumbar spine and hip inflammation . He had hip surgery and is out for the season.
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“It really is awesome having him around right now, just, for one, because of the experience he has in moments like this, but then also, you know, he just picks up the vibe of everybody, and everybody loves him," Vierling said. "So just to have him around is awesome, and to see him walk in the door was like — there already was a good vibe, and just him walking in, it made things even better."
Báez was in the Tigers dugout but not wearing a uniform during Monday's dramatic 3-0 victory over Cleveland .
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Báez will be in Detroit for Game 3.
“Javy came (Monday,)” Hinch said. “He made his way back. He was in Puerto Rico attending some family matters and then came back, flew to Detroit, drove down with his family for yesterday, and now he is back in Detroit and will be here tomorrow."
“He's been in constant contact with us,” Hinch added.
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Hinch not tipping hand about pitching
Who will pitch for the Tigers in Game 3 on Wednesday?
Hinch said he wasn’t sure during Tuesday's call with reporters.
“We're going to talk about it today,” Hinch said. “I'll talk to (pitching coach Chris Fetter) today and the rest of our group, and we'll devise the plan on how we're going to lay out the beginning of our pitching.”
Hinch said he would inform Cleveland on Tuesday night.
“So that they can build their lineup and build their strategy as well,” Hinch said. “We just haven't come to that determination yet. We've got a lot of options.”
Everybody but Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson will be available.
"A lot of our guys can go a long ways," Hinch said. "Every decision that I make in Game 3 will impact availability in Game 4. But this time of year, guys are more available than they are during the regular season. So if somebody throws 30 to 40 pitches, they will be available the next day if they're in the bullpen. If somebody goes 60 or 70 or 80, the way that Reese did the other day, then he's on the natural five-day rest period.”
The Tigers uncertainty is “definitely different,” according to Cleveland’s Steven Kwan.
“We obviously gameplan for a starter,” Kwan said, “and then you kind of get a feel for it as it goes second and third time. But with it being a new arm every time, it's different.”
That’s the idea behind HInch’s “ pitching chaos .”
“Thankfully, we've faced these guys before,” Kwan said. “I think if it was out-of-division, it would be a little tougher, seeing these guys for the first time in these high-leverage games. But (we) saw some of these guys in the minor leagues as well, which is really fortunate for us. Yeah, it's definitely unique, but we have a good gameplan going into it.”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com . Follow him on X @seideljeff . To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers 'kind of went nuts' when Javy Báez walked into clubhouse in Cleveland
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