Javier Báez Was Pulled vs. Blue Jays as 'Message' to Team, Tigers' A.J. Hinch Says

The Detroit Tigers are off to a brutal start this season, and manager A.J. Hinch didn't miss a chance to send a message during Thursday's 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Shortstop Javier Báez lost track of how many outs there were when he was on second base and was promptly doubled up for the third out when he continued running on Akil Baddoo's lineout. Hinch removed him from the game the following inning.

"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," the manager said, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press. "It's a message to our whole team that we've got to clean that up."

Hinch also said he didn't "want to embarrass anybody" but added, "I also don't want to see a team make mental mistakes."

As for Báez, he is struggling in the early portion of the season with a .122/.182/146 slash line, zero home runs and one RBI. He looks nothing like the player who was a World Series champion, two-time All-Star, Gold Glover and Silver Slugger during his time on the Chicago Cubs.

Yet even though the 30-year-old was a star player on the Cubs, manager David Ross benched him once for a similar mistake during the 2021 season.

"My mind is everywhere right now," Báez said after Thursday's game. "I'm just trying to focus on my hitting and my timing and other stuff."

Detroit's win snapped a six-game losing streak, but it is still just 3-9 and in last place in the American League Central.