KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez will miss his third game in a row with right thumb soreness.
Báez, known for his toughness, missed Wednesday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park and Thursday’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The 29-year-old will not play Friday, manager A.J. Hinch said.
“He took one round of BP (batting practice) and still said he was uncomfortable, so I pulled him out of the game,” Hinch said after Thursday’s 4-2 win. “He got treatment. There’s really nothing you can do other than ice and rest a little bit, so I’m not going to play him tomorrow. We’ll see if he can take some inside BP and get him better.”
Báez is hitting .316 (6-for-19) with one double, one home run, four RBIs, one walk and four strikeouts in five games this season. He has played hero twice for the Tigers, producing a walk-off single Opening Day and a two-run homer in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Red Sox.
He jammed his thumb in Tuesday’s game.
The Tigers hope Báez, whose thumb is swollen, will return to the lineup Saturday.
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