NEWSLETTER
Javy Báez went down in the 8th inning – literally down – after trying to beat out an infield bouncer. He lay for a bit, signaled to the dugout that he was fine, grimaced getting up, and then walked gingerly to the dugout before playing shortstop in the 9th.
For MOST players, I’d be pretty concerned about all that. But we’ve seen that basic outline from Báez so many times before, and either he’s not “injured” – just hurt a little – or he’s got something and he plays through it, often successfully. That’s not to say you don’t worry when a guy goes down in pain, it’s just, well, this has resulted in “relief” so many times before that I’m less concerned that I might be if this happened, exactly like this, to someone else. The fact that Báez played shortstop thereafter in a tight game in the 9th also makes me feel more at ease.
What made me feel LESS at ease, though, was David Ross’s (unnecessarily?) cryptic comments about Báez after the game:
Ross on Javy after that awkward looking play in ninth: “I think he’s all right.”
Ross when asked if it was a foot or ankle: “It was something.”
Do you know what it was? “Yes.”
What was it? “I’ll tell you tomorrow. … It was a lower-body [injury].”#StateSecrets #Cubs
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) July 25, 2021
What? I know what the date is on the calendar, but I don’t recall the Cubs ever pull the hockey description before like this. Read Wittenmyer’s article for just how deep the strange secrecy went. Below the knee, not gonna say what it was, he might be fine, trainers will check, etc. Seriously, what? So are we now supposed to be really worried since Ross didn’t want to say?
I tend to still be of the mind that, even if the Cubs will listen on offers for the streaking Báez, they are not likely to receive an offer sufficiently solid that they feel they have to say yes (effectively ending the relationship, because a re-signing after the season becomes that much less likely). That said, yes, I understand that you don’t know until you know, and you thus want to preserve all of Báez’s trade value, if possible, until Friday. Does being this bizarrely secretive do it, though? I mean, you’re going to have to exchange medical information anyway. Báez is going to have to play again this week anyway. I don’t really get the point, and it leaves me more worried about a serious injury than I would have been otherwise.
Anyway, at least after the game, Báez was out having a great time on the field with his family, so hopefully his mind remains mostly off of all this stuff:
Javy Baez enjoying time with his family postgame at Wrigley. #Cubs #CubTogether pic.twitter.com/EMIloqbdPW
— MBDChicago (@MBDChicago) July 25, 2021
