The Tigers are turning to Javier Baez in a new spot Thursday, and the move comes with a little bit of history attached to it.
Detroit is facing the Cleveland Guardians in the rubber game of their three-game series, and Baez is starting in left field. It marks the first time in his MLB career that he has started there, even though he has already shown he can handle outfield work in brief doses.
Before the game, Chris McCosky noted that Baez was ready for the assignment in a pretty emphatic way: “Javier Baez, who is starting in left field for the first time in his career today, just ended his pre-game work by leaping above the fence and bringing back a fly ball that was heading into the bullpen. Ballplayer,” McCosky reported.
Baez has long been identified as an infielder, with shortstop and second base as the positions he has played most often. But he has also logged outfield innings over the years.
In 2016 and 2020, he appeared in three combined games in left field, though none of those came as starts. He has also played one game in right field and several in center, which is where most of his outfield time has come.
The Tigers are dealing with the absence of All-Star outfielder Riley Greene, who is now on the injured list. Baez’s willingness to move around gives Detroit another option as it continues to look like a legitimate postseason contender, even after trading Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize before the deadline.
By Thursday, Baez will have done something no one had seen from him in a Tigers uniform before: take left field from the opening pitch. And in the process, he’ll add yet another box to a career that has already taken him just about everywhere except catcher and pitcher.
In Other News…
Tigers Suddenly Face An Outfield Question After James Outman Scare
The Tigers outfield situation took a jolt after James Outman was struck on the chin by a 94-mph fastball from Guardians left-hander Erik Sabrowski and initially stayed in the game before showing concussion symptoms later on. Even in a season where roster churn is part of the backdrop, any head injury quickly shifts the focus from lineup construction to health, and Detroit now has to manage the immediate fallout while waiting to see how long Outman will be unavailable.
In the meantime, the club turned to its depth by bringing up switch-hitting utility player Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo. It is the kind of move that signals a day-to-day scramble as much as a longer look at a versatile bench piece, and for the Tigers, the bigger question is how they cover the outfield if Outmans absence stretches beyond the short term.
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Brant Hurter could help change that picture if his return comes together quickly. The left-hander has been on the 60-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation, but he has started rehab assignments with the Toledo Mud Hens, and MLB.coms injury report indicates he could be activated soon, with the White Sox series among the possible landing spots.
Tigers Fans Finally Got Their First Look At Cameron Flukey
Cameron Flukeys first pro outing gave Tigers fans their first real glimpse of the clubs latest first-round arm, and it came in a controlled enough setting to keep the focus on the basics. Pitching for Single-A Lakeland, the right-hander worked 1.1 scoreless innings, missing bats with two strikeouts while also issuing two walks and plunking one batter, but he never allowed a hit.
For Detroit, the debut was less about a polished line and more about the first step from draft-night promise to game action. Flukey, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, signed for a $3.8 million bonus, and now the organization can start seeing how that profile plays against pro hitters, inning by inning, at the lower levels.
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