The Detroit Tigers were already paying Javy Báez to be one of the worst players in MLB. Now, they’re paying him not to play – potentially for the remainder of the season.

The Tigers placed Báez on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine and hip inflammation before Friday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox. While the severity of the injury and the recovery time have yet to be determined, Tigers manager AJ Hinch’s comments didn’t exactly bode well for Báez’s chances of returning in 2024. Hinch said via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that with a full diagnosis, “we’ll know a little bit more about what the next month looks like and what, if any, baseball activity he’ll be able to do.”

While the Tigers may not miss Báez’s disastrous .184/.221/.294 slash line in their lineup down the stretch, his six-year, $140 million contract is looking worse by the day. With Ryan Kreidler called up from Triple-A Toledo to fill Báez’s roster spot and Trey Sweeney picking up steam in his first MLB stint, perhaps this latest injury will be the final straw that convinces the Tigers to move on from Báez as a regular part of their lineup.

Tigers injury updates: Alex Faedo, Casey Mize

The Tigers received another injury blow this week when relief pitcher (and occasional opener) Alex Faedo landed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain. Faedo returned from the paternity list Sunday but was immediately placed on the IL retroactive to Thursday, making him eligible to return as soon as Sept. 6. Faedo has a 3.61 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 57 1/3 innings as a member of the injury-depleted Tigers pitching staff this season.

In more positive injury news, Casey Mize completed his fourth rehab start with Triple-A Toledo Saturday and allowed three earned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. It wasn’t his most dominant rehab outing, but the fact that he racked up 13 swinging strikes and built up to 78 pitches indicates that he is ready to return from the 60-day IL this weekend as soon as he’s eligible.

Overall, Mize recorded a 2.63 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 17:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 2/3 innings across four rehab outings with Toledo. He could rejoin the Tigers’ rotation as soon as Friday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox in Detroit.