The Detroit Tigers fell 9-5 to the Chicago White Sox in their series opener Friday night.
Detroit entered the series just 2.5 games behind the White Sox for the AL Central lead and will look to make up ground Saturday afternoon.
Anthony Kay will take the mound for Chicago, while Tigers ace Troy Melton will start for Detroit. Ahead of the matchup, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made a few notable lineup changes
Tigers Announce Javier Baez News
Baez did not start or make a pinch-hitting appearance for the Tigers on Friday night.
However, Hinch will put Baez back in the lineup Saturday, giving him the start in center field while batting eighth. Rookie Max Clark will get the day off.
Here’s the full Tigers lineup:
Tigers 8/15
G. Torres 2B
H. Lee 3B
D. Dingler DH
K. McGonigle SS
E. Valencia C
S. Torkelson 1B
B. Malgeri LF
J. Báez CF
C. Julks RFT. Melton SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 15, 2026
Baez’s 2026 Season
Baez has spent much of this season dealing with injuries, appearing in just 35 games and logging 123 at-bats.
He enters Saturday batting .285 with 19 runs, 35 hits, two home runs and 14 RBIs. The 33-year-old is also slugging .390 with a .700 OPS.
Looking at the Tigers
Detroit is now 60-62 after Friday night’s loss, but the Tigers have won nine of their last 13 games and positioned themselves right back in the AL Central and American League postseason races.
They’re now 3.5 games behind the White Sox in the division, but two straight wins would cut that deficit to 1.5 games with more than 35 games remaining in the regular season.
If the season ended today, the Tigers would hold the third and final Wild Card spot, just a half-game ahead of both the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers, who currently sit outside the playoff picture.
Detroit Tigers Announce Javier Baez News During White Sox Series