Detroit, MI
Tigers injury updates: Javier Báez shut down from baseball activities
Javier Báez hits home run in 2026 spring training with Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez talks to reporters during spring training February 27, 2026, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers shut down two of their shortstops on the injured list.
The biggest name?
Javier Báez.
The 33-year-old has been shut down from baseball activities after meeting with a specialist Monday, June 1, about the lack of progress in recovery from a right high ankle sprain, which he suffered April 28. (The Tigers also shut down Trey Sweeney, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since spring training and needs further medical evaluation.)
“We’re still dissecting all the diagnoses and what’s going on with him,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Báez before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s just not progressing very quickly, and right now, rest is still part of the equation.”
The Tigers tried to start Báez’s return-to-play progression with running, hitting and fielding drills.
He still felt symptoms of the high ankle sprain.
“I’m not a doctor,” Hinch said, “but I understand it watching Javy go through a very slow process of the swelling and the bleeding and all the things that go on inside that type of sprain.”
How long until Báez returns to baseball activities?
The timeline is unknown.
He isn’t expected to need surgery, which means he should return at some point after the All-Star break in 2026.
“From what I was told, we’re on the right path and everything is going well,” Hinch said. “These are just really tricky. The path that we’re on, we’re just going to go slow. Baseball activity is going to slow down because we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the symptoms.”
Before the injury, Báez played in 24 games for the Tigers, hitting .256 with two home runs, two walks and 16 strikeouts. The injury occurred while running to first base against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, as he tried to avoid a tag with an awkward slide.
The 13-year MLB veteran’s contract with the Tigers runs until November 2027. He is in the penultimate season of a six-year, $140 million contract from December 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
DETROIT (WXYZ) — A teenager was shot in Detroit on Monday evening, police said.
The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. near Fenkell Avenue and Strathmoor Street.
It’s unclear at this time what led up to the shooting. Police say the 16-year-old is in stable condition.
Police are looking for a suspect but did not have additional information to provide.
Anyone with information can call the Detroit Police Department.
Big Sean discusses $1Million investment with Usher in Detroit youth.
Big Sean discusses $1Million co-funded investment with Usher for Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan youth entertainment incubator.
After initially postponing a concert at the Detroit Opera House in May, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have cancelled the remainder of the group’s 2026 tour dates, citing health concerns.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows, but I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health,” Frankie Valli wrote on social media Friday, May 30.
The group, known for such 1960s hits like “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” performed in Detroit at the Opera House in downtown as part of the group’s farewell tour. Another date for Detroit was scheduled for later this year on Nov. 22, but the venue’s website no longer links to the event. Seat Geek’s ticket site shows the event.
Ticketmaster shows the June 26 concert at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona; the June 28 show at Grove of Anaheim in Anaheim, California; the July 19 show in Uncasville, Connecticut; and the Sept. 19 show at Hershey, Pennsylvania, as canceled.
Ticketmaster still lists several other shows, although some say tickets are not available. The Nov. 22 date does not appear on the Ticketmaster website.
Previous performances included stops in Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
“Detroit has always been special to us,” Valli said. “Our first big hit, ‘Sherry,’ broke first in Detroit, and I credit the city for much of our success.”
With a career spanning over 60 years, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have sold over 100 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 17, 1990, according to a post on Facebook.
Valli, 92, received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
Their story has been told on Broadway and in the film adaptation of “Jersey Boys.”
“I’m looking forward to getting healthy and seeing you all again soon,” Valli said in his Friday message.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
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