Javy Báez's latest spring training gaffe will have Tigers fans dumbfounded

No matter how Javy Báez ends his tenure with the Tigers, highlights from his days with the Cubs will always and forever be the focus of future compilation videos. One springs to mind immediately: Báez doing El Mago things in a game against the Pirates in 2021, when he ended up confusing Pittsburgh's infield so much that he stole first and second on what should've been a routine out, which allowed a run to score for Chicago.

That's the kind of moment that really made Cubs fans fall in love with Báez, but all of that sparkle has completely gone away with the Tigers.

On Wednesday's game against the Rays, it definitely seemed like he thought he was pulling something clever when Riley Greene hit a chopper up the middle with one out. Shortstop Carson Williams made a fantastic diving catch and threw to first, only to hit a leaping Báez right in the helmet.

What was he doing? Was he trying to get out of the way of the throw? Did he think Williams failed to catch the ball and was trying to block him from throwing to first? Who even knows at this point? Nobody was on second base! There was one out!

Javier Báez looks completely lost on base paths as he continues to struggle in Tigers spring training

Both Greene and Báez were (rightfully) called out and it was ruled a double play, but the moment was so ridiculous that Pitching Ninja clipped it immediately. Making fun of Báez is a shortcut to getting clicks at this point. What makes it all the more frustrating was that he could've easily just gone to second base and gotten himself into scoring position with two outs, as Williams didn't have a chance at a double play. Instead, Báez stopped, and then jumped.

If he was trying to extract some of that old, weird El Mago magic to pull off a trick, it's pretty clear that all of it has vanished at this point. If he was trying to get out of the path of the throw, then why did he stop? Why didn't he slide?

Báez is actually hitting decently in spring training through seven games — .267 average, .953 OPS — but he just had to go and do something to remind fans that he's mostly just been an embarrassing blight on the franchise over the last few seasons.