ATLANTA – Javier Báez has been placed on the injured list.
To replace him, the Detroit Tigers called up infielder Jace Jung from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, April 29, before the second of three games in the series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
The 25-year-old has hit .190 with a .546 OPS in his 55-game MLB career, featuring 34 games in 2024 and 21 games in 2025. He continues to search for his first home run in the big leagues.
LAST GAME Tigers lose two players, then lose game vs Braves
The Tigers sent Báez to the injured list before Wednesday's game. The 33-year-old shortstop/center fielder suffered the injury while trying to avoid a tag at first base on a wild throw in the fifth inning of Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Braves.
Without Báez, expect Kevin McGonigle to receive almost all of the playing time at shortstop – at least until Zach McKinstry returns from left hip/abdominal inflammation. McKinstry is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon, so he should be back within the next seven days, likely taking Jung's spot on the roster.
The short-term backup shortstop could be Hao-Yu Lee.
As for Jung, he has hit .222 with two home runs, 22 walks and 28 strikeouts across 28 games for Triple-A Toledo, registering a .721 OPS. He has logged 87 innings at first base, 76⅔ innings at second base and 68⅔ innings at third base.
He overhauled his swing mechanics in May 2025, lowering his hands to eliminate extra movement. The significant changes created a shorter, more direct swing path. He then spent the entire 2025-26 offseason refining his new swing.
Now, it's time to put his swing to the test in the big leagues.
THE INJURY: Javier Báez carted off in Tigers game after scary leg injury
Jace Jung dumps an RBI single just in front of the right fielder to score Wenceel Perez (1B, SB) and give Toledo an early lead. pic.twitter.com/i0jPecEbT2
The Tigers selected Jung with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Texas Tech.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers roster: Javier Báez to injured list, Jace Jung called up