CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez shared a close relationship with his maternal grandfather, Isaías Agosto Huertas.
His grandfather died Aug. 5 at age 83.
The Tigers placed Báez on the bereavement list Aug. 13 — allowing him to travel to Puerto Rico to be with his loved ones for funeral and burial services — and reinstated him before the second game of Friday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. He missed four games.
“Just seeing them and being able to hug them and tell them that we’re there for them, that’s huge for everybody,” Báez said Saturday. “I’m pretty sure I had my excuses to stay home and be with my family. I had to do this to take care of my family. I want to be with my teammates and finish strong right now, and then go back to be with my family as soon as I can.”
Before leaving the Tigers for Puerto Rico, Báez shared stories about his grandfather with some of his teammates and coaches. Mourning the death of his grandfather, as well as the process of scheduling the services, kept him out of the starting lineup in the days following the sad news.
Báez, 30, reflected on his grandfather’s influence on the lives of his family members.
“My grandpa, for me and my family, was a big inspiration,” Báez said. “Nobody prepares to say bye. He was 85 years old, so we kind of did, but once he retired, he really started going down in his life. I think three years ago was when my family thought he was going to be gone. It was a hard process. Seeing my mom the way she was, and all my family flying from the United States to Puerto Rico, it was tough.”
The services took place in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, where Báez grew up before moving to Florida in 2005 as an early teenager. A few years before moving, his father died, and about 10 years after moving, his sister died.
“I haven’t had my family together in a long time,” Báez said. “My grandpa was the biggest leader of my family that I can remember. He had his dad and grandpa, but what I remember, he was a leader. It was pretty painful for us, but at the same time, he’s at peace now, and he’s not going through anything. We’re just happy he’s at peace now.”
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Báez returned to the Tigers for the second game of Friday’s doubleheader at Progressive Field amid another disappointing season on offense in the second year of his six-year, $140 million contract.
The former All-Star shortstop provides elite defense, yet is hitting .224 with eight home runs, 18 walks and 103 strikeouts in 111 games, with a career-worst .592 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. (He hit .238 with 17 home runs, 26 walks and 147 strikeouts, with a .671 OPS, in 114 games last season.)
Báez struck out 10 times across 14 at-bats in five games leading up to his placement on the bereavement list, but in two games since returning, has three hits — including a solo home run in Saturday’s 4-3 win — without a strikeout in eight at-bats.
The Tigers hope Báez will finish the 2023 season on a positive note.
“This has been a trying year for Javy on and off the field with his family member and his production,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday. “When we see glimpses of it, we want to challenge ourselves to try to find a way to get that more consistent. He’s dominated the league before. He’s got to make a few adjustments to be productive, especially against right-handed pitching. Even left-handed pitching, there are some things he needs to do to get his direction going in a good place. The stronger you can finish, the better everybody’s mental space will be going into the offseason in building next year’s team.”
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Báez wants to build momentum into the 2024 campaign, too.
He will be thinking of his grandfather as he attempts to salvage something positive from an underwhelming on-field performance.
“It’s another person I’m going to play for,” Báez said. “It’s hard, but I came (back) and saw the ball a little better than I’ve been seeing the ball. I slowed everything down, too. Hopefully, I stay focused and finish strong.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.