Less than 24 hours after Akil Baddoo suffered a right quadriceps strain in the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers placed the outfielder on the 10-day injured list, the latest negative development for a club that has yet to a post a victory this month.
Although manager A.J. Hinch disclosed to reporters that the medical staff told him the injury was on the “mild side,” he added that Baddoo would be “out for the foreseeable future” and didn’t give a timetable for his recovery.
“Obviously disappointing to lose him,” Hinch said Saturday morning with a dose of stoicism.
The void left by Baddoo further impinges a roster short on outfielders, leaving Hinch with some tough choices as he pieces together his lineup card.
The recent return of Kerry Carpenter from the injured list will help. So too will the acquisition of Nick Solak, who was claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves earlier this week. In a corresponding move, Solak was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Toledo and Hinch noted that the versatility of the peripatetic utility player should help alleviate a vexing situation that has left the manager dipping into his cast of infielders to fill the gaps in the outfield. To that end, Hinch indicated his plans to deploy Zack Short and Andy Ibáñez beyond the dirt.
“Right now, everybody’s going to get opportunities in different spots,” Hinch said.
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Before he was hurt, Baddoo acted as the Tigers’ thermostat. When he was hot, so was the rest of the club. He hit .294 and posted a .392 on-base percentage during May, when the Tigers surged at times with a 16-11 record. In June, however, he has been mired in a slump with a wretched .053 batting average as the team, entering Saturday, had dropped seven consecutive games during an icy stretch.
“We all hurt for him,” Hinch said. “We all care about him…We have a lot of talent on the injured list. None of that talent can help us today. So we have to move on and play.”
Solak has been everywhere, man
As the season was set to begin at the end of March, Nick Solak planned on being in Louisville with the Triple-A affiliate of the Reds. He parked his Lexus SUV there.
And then things started to get a bit crazy.
On March 31, the Seattle Mariners acquired him. Then, 15 days later, the Chicago White Sox picked him up off waivers. Less than a week had passed before the Atlanta Braves did the same in mid-April. Then, on Friday, the Tigers became the latest club to obtain his services.
“I’ve kind of kept my bags packed all year,” he said with a wry grin. “I don’t know if I’ve processed it all. It’s part of the business part of the game. Just to be able to go wherever and play is a blessing.”
The nomadic journey that has transpired over the past 71 days has sent Solak to Tacoma, Washington, Charlotte, Gwinnett, Georgia, Atlanta, Toledo and now Detroit.
All the while, the Lexus has remained in Louisville.
“I think my cousin is driving my car to the game today,” Solak said.
It will be a welcome reunion for a player yearning for some semblance of stability and normalcy as he hopes to revive his career. A former second-round pick of the New York Yankees, Solak, 28, has struggled to hold a spot in the big leagues since playing 127 games with the Texas Rangers in 2021.
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Yet in a twist of irony, Solak recognizes he may increase his odds of sticking with the club by demonstrating a willingness to move around. After all, it’s his position flexibility and dual identity as an infielder and outfielder that may be Solak’s best assets.
“Whatever the team needs, at whatever point,” Solak said, “I can do it. I bring all the gloves. I’ve got them all packed.”
That’s not surprising for a player who has spent 2023 living out of a suitcase.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin.