In what might have been his final “rehab” game with the AZL Cubs in Arizona, Javier Baez went 1-3 with a hard single to left and a stolen base.
The hard single to left:
https://twitter.com/cubearhawk/status/625514609257021440
I haven’t seen a ton of video on Baez in Arizona, but what I’ve seen looks a lot like his final month at Iowa: a little more upright, a little closer to the plate, and an increasing use of the “reduced” swing when trying to put the ball in play (presumably).
Once again, Baez did not strike out in the game, which means he’s up to 15 plate appearances during this rehab stint without a strikeout. That could be a fluke, it could be an emphasis on contact to the exclusion of all else (for timing), or it could be a reflection of the changes he was making prior to his injury. Whatever the case, I like that he’s able to pull it off, even if against rookie ball pitchers.
Bill Mitchell and Arizona Phil were each of the belief that this could be Baez’s last outing in Arizona before returning to Iowa, so we’ll see if that happens.
The I-Cubs wrap up a series in Memphis tonight at 7pm CT, so it would be possible for Baez to get there in time. It’s also possible he’ll join the team later in the week. They open up their next series tomorrow in Nashville.