Tigers hit with injuries as Mize, Báez exit early vs. Braves

ATLANTA -- What initially looked like a routine defensive play turned into an early exit for Casey Mize and a concerning moment for the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

In the bottom of the third inning, Mize had already surrendered an RBI double to Ronald Acuña Jr., giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. Moments later, Drake Baldwin stepped in and made weak contact on an 86.1 mph splitter, sending a slow chopper up the first-base line.

Mize quickly came off the mound to field it to first. While the play itself didn’t immediately signal anything unusual, Mize’s reaction did. The right-hander looked to be in discomfort after the throw, prompting a visit from the Tigers’ training staff.

Following a brief conversation on the mound, Detroit made the decision to remove Mize from the game with what was later diagnosed with right groin tightness before the Tigers lost to the Braves, 5-2. Left-hander Brant Hurter was called in from the bullpen to relieve Mize.

Hurter allowed a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Acuña home to extend Atlanta’s lead to 2-0.

Mize’s final line underscored a short and interrupted outing: 2 1/3 innings pitched, three hits allowed, two runs, one walk and three strikeouts on 34 pitches.

In the top of the fifth inning, center fielder Javier Báez also exited the game early after he appeared to injure his right ankle while running to first base on a grounder to shortstop.

Báez made soft contact on an 82.7 mph changeup to shortstop Mauricio Dubón, who threw high to first baseman Matt Olson. Olson came off the bag to secure the catch as Báez slid feet first into base. As his left foot reached the base, his right cleat appeared to stick in the ground beneath him, and he immediately went down in pain, rolling near the bag and punching the ground.

First-base coach Anthony Sanders signaled to the Detroit dugout as Báez remained on the ground visibly in discomfort. Assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades examined his right ankle for several minutes, gently moving it as Báez winced.

He was eventually able to put some weight on the leg before leaving the field, with Sanders helping him to his feet and guiding him to a cart amid cheers from the Truist Park crowd.