My Two Cents: Shane Baz's Road to Recovery Comes Full Circle in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The last time Tampa Bay pitcher Shane Baz spent a summer Sunday in Cincinnati, it might have been the toughest day of his baseball life,

The date was July 10, 2022, and Baz — a few weeks removed from his 23rd birthday — was making his sixth start of the season, and his first ever against the Reds. But in the fourth inning, he felt something in his elbow, and he knew it wasn't good.

It definitely wasn't. A few days later, it was determined that he had a torn ulner collatoral ligament and needed Tommy John surgery. He didn't pitch again until July 5, 2024, missing nearly two full years. The rehab and slow recovery was a lot to go through.

“I try not to step back and smell the roses,'' Baz said Saturday when asked about his return to Cincinnati to pitch Sunday's game vs. the Reds. "It was a while ago, but it also feels like yesterday. It’s been a lot of tough days in between from that one. It was probably as low as I’ve been as a player, and it’s one of the toughest things I’ve gone through. But it’s kind of cool to be able to say that I’ve put that behind me, and now I’m a guy who’s in a big-league rotation for a full year.''

Sitting back and watching his friends and teammates play the game he loves for two years was tough. It's hard to not let negative thoughts creep into your head, Baz said.

“The down side was all the time I had to miss, and just sitting at home not knowing what it was going to be like,'' Baz said. "Now it’s sweeter to go out and do the thing that I love. It’s a good part of the story, I guess. “It’s a hard thing to do, but I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to (pitch) a full year, and now I want to go prove to everybody that believed in me this long that they stuck with and prove them right. It’s bittersweet being here.

“(Rays trainer Joe) Benge made a joke to me about it the other day when we got here. He said ‘last time you were here it was a day game in July and it was a bad day.' Yeah, it was a really bad day,''

Baz made 14 starts in 2024 and went 4-3 with an impressive 3.06 earned run average. He's making his 21st start on Sunday, and he's pitched 114 innings already, nearly as many as he's had in his entire career (119.2). It's been great taking the ball every four or five days, he said. He's learned to appreciate it, especially after all that time away from the game.''

“I think (I grew up and matured). I spent a lot of time in the minor leagues too — he was the 12th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2017 MLB Draft — and I think that helps also,'' Baz said.

"I was definitely a little bright eyed and bushy tailed in the minors and now I’ve gotten to know more what it’s like up here and just how to go about my business and how to get my body ready. I know what my body needs every 4-5 days. I’ve learned a lot from it.''

The Rays, who are 7-17 in their last 24 games since June 27, need a big start from Baz on Sunday against the Reds. They've lost five straight series and have lost 7-2 and 6-2 here this weekend at Great American Ball Park.

They've been scuffling, but Baz feels like Tampa Bay can still turn things around. It's just four days out to the trade deadline, and it's still unclear if the Rays front office is in buying mode or selling mode.

"It’s kind of the nature of how we work as an organization, so it’s always kind of a thing,'' Baz said of the cloud of the looming trade deadline hovering over the clubhouse. "But I don’t think anyone is dwelling on it too much, and we're staying focused on the day at hand. Just not letting it consume anyone. I think everyone has a good attitude about it. Everyone knows the deal, and it’s about having a good end of July, and then a good August.

“Having a game every day is kind of nice, so you’re not sitting around thinking about it. We’re just going to play our game and get going here.’’

Baz, who is 8-6 this season with a 4.66 ERA, is all about just going out and doing his job. He's excited about Sunday, and helping the Rays get back on track.

“I think it’s just one of those things where you just have to do one day and a time and just try to win that day and not think about everything else. Everyone still has a lot of faith in this team and everyone in this clubhouse knows we can go as far as we want.

“It’s treating it like every other game. I’m just going to do what I’ve done all year, take the ball every 4-5 days and try to help this team win. No one is panicking or doing anything out of the ordinary. We just want to get healthy and then get hot.’’  

The Rays finish up in Cincinnati and then fly to New York for a critical four-game series with the Yankees. Hopfully that flight out of Cincinnati will be much better than the one three years ago.