St. Petersburg, Fla. — The Tigers didn’t get the worst news possible regarding shortstop/center fielder Javier Báez. But it was far from encouraging.
Manager AJ Hinch announced before the game Tuesday that after seeing an ankle specialist on Monday, the club was shutting Báez down from baseball activities for an unspecified length of time.
“We’re still dissecting all the diagnosis,” Hinch said. “But it’s just not progressing quickly and right now rest is still part of the equation.”
Báez rolled his ankle on April 28 trying to evade a tag at first base. He’s dealing with a high ankle sprain. The specialist did not indicate that there was any structural damage, be it a fracture or a bone break.
“We were starting to ramp him up and the symptoms were still there,” Hinch said. “High ankle sprains are really hard to deal with. Sometimes the symptoms linger longer than had he broken it. But he’s not cleared for full activity. The specialist said the path we are on in good, it’s just slow.”
The Tigers’ medical update included some discouraging news on another shortstop, as well. Trey Sweeney, out all year with a shoulder strain, has also been shut down. He’s dealing with a rotator cuff issue and is being sent for further medical evaluation.
Right-hander Jackson Jobe (recovering from Tommy John surgery) was a sight for sore eyes at Tropicana Field before the game. He came over from Lakeland and threw a lengthy bullpen in front of the Tigers medical team and pitching coaches Chris Fetter, Robin Lund and Juan Nieves.
“We want to see Jackson, but also give him a boost of energy,” Hinch said. “He is 10 or 11 bullpens in and he’s on his way to where we can start developing plans to face hitters in a few weeks. It can get redundant in Lakeland rehabbing all year. I think Jackson coming in and throwing a bullpen is a great boost for us as a staff knowing he’s somewhere on the road to recovery.
“And it’s a boost for him knowing he’s still a part of this despite being away from our team.”
There is no timeline for Jobe, but the Tigers are hopeful he will be ready for competition after the All-Star break.
Right-hander Casey Mize also threw a bullpen. He’s out with inflammation in his right groin but the fact that he’s continuing his five-day throwing routine is a good indication that he could be back when his IL stint runs out on June 12.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Javier Báez injury update: Tigers shut down ailing shortstop
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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