{"id":10097,"date":"2025-06-11T10:38:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/sin-categoria\/javy-baez-resurfaces-the-detroit-magician-revives-after-surgery-and-changes\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T10:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:38:14","slug":"javy-baez-resurfaces-the-detroit-magician-revives-after-surgery-and-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/mlb\/javy-baez-resurfaces-the-detroit-magician-revives-after-surgery-and-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Javy B\u00e1ez Resurfaces: The Detroit Magician Revives After Surgery and Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Renaissance of “El Mago”: Javier B\u00e1ez and His Resurgence in Detroit<\/h2>\n\nThe return of Javier B\u00e1ez to Wrigley Field last August evoked an emotional reunion. Chicago, where the player lived his best moments, conquering a World Series, a Silver Slugger, and two All-Star selections, eagerly awaited his visit.\n\nKnown as “El Mago” (The Magician) for his spectacular play, B\u00e1ez, despite his departure in 2021 and the six-year, $140 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, generated great anticipation. However, his performance did not meet expectations.\n\nAmidst ovations, B\u00e1ez struck out four times and his last appearance on the field was in 2024. A hip problem had diminished his athletic ability, affecting his game.\n\n\n

“Honestly, I didn’t make excuses when I struggled for three years,” B\u00e1ez said. “I was playing through pain. I didn’t want to come out of the lineup. I had good energy all the time. It was frustrating, but I’m the same every day. My teammates know it.”<\/p>Javier B\u00e1ez<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\nThe conversation with his manager, A.J. Hinch, came a week before the series in Chicago, but B\u00e1ez wanted to play at Wrigley Field before the end of the season. His numbers reflected his limitations, with a declining OPS during his three years in Detroit.\n\nB\u00e1ez’s struggles against curveballs became evident. His at-bats often ended with a strikeout. The situation worsened as he stopped hitting fastballs, and the Tigers knew something had to be done.\n\nB\u00e1ez underwent hip surgery and began a rehabilitation process, paying attention to his diet.\n\nMeanwhile, the Tigers were evolving, and B\u00e1ez’s future on the team was uncertain. Detroit achieved an improbable playoff qualification and won a series against the Astros, with young talents leading the way.\n\nHinch waited until spring training to define B\u00e1ez’s role, proposing versatility on the field. B\u00e1ez, with experience in various positions, accepted the challenge.\n\nThe change of position in center field arose when Parker Meadows was injured. B\u00e1ez, with enthusiasm, took on the new role.\n\n\n

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Nic Antaya\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\nAfter accepting his new role, B\u00e1ez had to prove he could hit enough to stay in the lineup.\n\nHis answer was the same: “trying to stay away from that slider,” he said with a head movement.\n\nThe Detroit team wasn’t looking for him to change his style against curveballs and sliders, but rather to reconnect with the pitches he could hit.\n\nHinch simplified his game plan, and the results were immediate. In April, B\u00e1ez batted .297, with an on-base percentage of .337. His power returned in May.\n\nThe highlight came on May 13, with a three-run homer in the sixth and a home run in extra innings.\n\nSeven months later, B\u00e1ez was at the center of the celebration. Despite the difficulties, he remained a respected player in the locker room.\n\nB\u00e1ez is once again a key player on a team with playoff aspirations.\n\n“And I’m hitting the slider better,” B\u00e1ez said with a smile.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Renaissance of “El Mago”: Javier B\u00e1ez and His Resurgence in Detroit The return of Javier B\u00e1ez to Wrigley Field last August evoked an emotional reunion. Chicago, where the player lived his best moments, conquering a World Series, a Silver Slugger, and two All-Star selections, eagerly awaited his visit. Known as “El Mago” (The Magician) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1310,966,3072,3907],"class_list":{"0":"post-10097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-detroit-tigers","9":"tag-hip-surgery","10":"tag-javier-baez","11":"tag-versatility"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alofokedeportes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}