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What Javier Báez at third base means for Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster prediction
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- What Javier Báez at third base means for Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster prediction
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has opened the door to two shortstops in the lineup together as part of the Opening Day roster, with Javier Báez at third base and Trey Sweeney at shortstop.
On Thursday, for the first time since 2019, Báez played third base, manning the hot corner against the New York Yankees in spring training , just 14 days until Opening Day.
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Playing Báez at third base increases the Tigers' roster flexibility.
"A scenario comes into play where Trey and Javy are both in the lineup, whether that's starting the game or whether that's an in-game move," Hinch said Thursday morning. "How are we going to do it? Javy has done this before. I want him to get a few reps."
BREAKING NEWS: Tigers' Javier Báez reacts to playing third base for first time since 2019
From left, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch high-fives\shortstop Javier Báez, infielder Trey Sweeney and infielder Zach McKinstry after a workout during spring training at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
Báez was willing to move off shortstop.
He has played 629⅓ innings at third base in his 11-year MLB career, trailing more than 6,800 innings at shortstop and more than 2,100 innings at second base.
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"Like all these guys, anything to get me in the lineup was the reaction that I got," Hinch said.
It seems like Sweeney, who made his MLB debut with the Tigers last season after being acquired from the LA Dodgers at the trade deadline, is a lock to make the 2025 Opening Day roster .
In the 2024 season, Báez hit .184 with six home runs, 12 walks (4.2% walk rate) and 69 strikeouts (23.9% strikeout rate) in 80 games. Meanwhile, Sweeney hit .218 with four homers, seven walks (5.9% walk rate) and 32 strikeouts (26.9% strikeout rate) in 36 games. Defensively, Báez was worth minus-4 defensive runs saved at shortstop, while Sweeney contributed plus-3 defensive runs saved.
In spring training, Báez, 32, is hitting .250 (4-for-16) with one home run, three walks and four strikeouts in seven games; Sweeney, 24, is hitting .250 (7-for-28) with one homer, three walks and seven strikeouts in 11 games.
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"I think once he gets on the field, he's going to be fine," Hinch said of Báez at third base. "This guy is a baseball player. A lot of his natural instincts will take over. This is a spring training game, so my expectations are for him to be an athlete and be able to play the position."
The shortstops could be used in a platoon role: Báez (a right-handed hitter) against left-handed pitchers and Sweeney (a left-handed hitter) against right-handed pitchers. In that case, Sweeney would get more of the playing time.
The Tigers can't count on Báez as their everyday shortstop, but he can reclaim his role if he hits.
Playing time will be determined by performance.
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HIS TIME: Tigers third baseman Jace Jung sets goal for spring training
As for third base, the Tigers have wanted Jace Jung to win the open job since missing out on free-agent Alex Bregman in the first week of spring training.
He needs to earn it.
But the Tigers are comfortable with both Sweeney and Jung — a pair of left-handed hitters — on the roster together, which increases the likelihood of this starting infield: Jung at third base, Sweeney at shortstop, Gleyber Torres at second base and Colt Keith at first base.
When the Tigers face a right-handed starter, Báez could come off the bench as a pinch-hitter against left-handed relievers, either for Sweeney at shortstop or Jung at third base.
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"Anything can happen during the season in the way that we're created with our roster," said Hinch, who could expand Báez's defensive versatility to the outfield. "We're trying to prepare for everything, and we're trying to get the first rep being in a relatively benign environment in spring training."
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Detroit Tigers roster prediction with Javier Báez and Trey Sweeney
Here's the new version of the Free Press' 2025 Opening Day roster prediction , assuming center fielder Parker Meadows ( musculocutaneous nerve issue ) joins right fielder Matt Vierling ( right shoulder strain ) on the injured list start the season:
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Catcher: Jake Rogers
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First base: Colt Keith
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Second base: Gleyber Torres
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Shortstop:Trey Sweeney
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Third base: Jace Jung
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Right field: Zach McKinstry
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Center field:Wenceel Pérez
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Left field: Riley Greene
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Designated hitter: Kerry Carpenter
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Bench: Dillon Dingler , Javier Báez, Andy Ibáñez , Justyn-Henry Malloy
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Starting rotation: Tarik Skubal , Jack Flaherty , Reese Olson , Jackson Jobe , Casey Mize
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Bullpen: Tommy Kahnle , Jason Foley , John Brebbia , Will Vest , Beau Brieske , Tyler Holton , Andrew Chafin , Kenta Maeda
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Javier Báez to third base puts Trey Sweeney on Opening Day roster
