Baseball is a meritocracy. We have a bazillion stats to tell us which players are better than the others. Keep performing, and you keep playing. Don't perform and you get benched, sent to the minors or released.
Except: Baseball also has a class system. Veterans are treated differently. They get the best locations in the clubhouse, they get to pick the music, they get to dress up the rookies in funny clothes and make them carry the bag of treats out to the bullpen. Most importantly, they're extended a longer leash if they're struggling.
Prince Fielder is struggling.