AJ Hinch drops truth bomb on Javier Baez’s center field move

“He’s someone who you look forward to seeing every day,” Tigers skipper AJ Hinch said Tuesday in an appearance on MLB Network Radio. “He has an unselfishness to him, even with the whole persona, the El Mago, and the vibe around him. He’s just one of the more beloved teammates that we have.”

The Tigers enter play on Tuesday 31-17, good for first place in the AL Central. For his part, Baez has gotten it done with the glove and the bat, hitting .291 with an .811 OPS in 38 games.

“When he decided to embrace the challenge of ‘ok I’m gonna go to centerfield, I might move around a little bit, I don’t now when I’m gonna play,’ that really did sorta spark our team that we’re all in,” Hinch continued. “Everybody’s all in. It doesn’t matter how much you make, it doesn’t matter what position you play. How can you contribute to a win?”

The Tigers’ outfield corps is on its way back

Hinch lauded Baez’ commitment to learning how to play centerfield, noting his “attention to detail.” But he also joked that he’s dreading reminding his veteran that the cavalry is coming.

“Now I’m gonna have to break the news to him pretty soon that [Matt] Vierling’s coming back, Parker Meadows is coming back, Wenceel [Perez] is coming back,” Hinch said. “[Baez will] get a little more infield time. I feel like it’s gonna be taking a little bit of a toy away from a player.”

Vierling seems like he will be the first one back. The 28-year-old has missed the entire season so far with a rotator cuff muscle strain but has been playing in rehab games at Triple-A Toledo. Perez and Meadows aren’t far behind. The Tigers expect both back by early-to-mid June.