It seems that Baez will be the primary starter at third base for Detroit with Andy Ibañez starting against lefties. Considering Baez is also mixing in at shortstop against left-handed pitching, he is playing close to every day for the Tigers of late.

Báez has two singles and a double and drove in his third run of the season. Most importantly, he didn’t strike out and now has just two strikeouts in 18 plate appearances this season while slashing .333/.333/.444. The veteran is playing most games for the Tigers and is a possible deep league option for fantasy managers in case this improved plate discipline sticks.

Zach McKinstry is in right field today, with Riley Greene in center. Báez is 3-for-10 with a double and just one strikeout in limited action. Still, it seems like the Tigers mostly want to use him against lefties, and they haven’t faced one of those since Blake Snell on Opening Day.

It’s an interesting wrinkle as Detroit continues to search for solutions to replace center fielder Parker Meadows, who remains sidelined with an upper-arm nerve issue. Báez boasts the athleticism required to excel in the outfield, but has has pretty much zero professional experience there. He’s been working out at third base this spring in the wake of second baseman Gleyber Torres’ offseason arrival. We’ll see.