| Detroit Free Press
Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera: ‘I can’t wait to be at first (base) again’
Detroit Tigers veteran Miguel Cabrera talks Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, about his spring training with a new coaching staff.
Detroit Tigers
TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Tigers top prospect Spencer Torkelson is gearing up to make his spring training debut sooner than manager AJ Hinch initially anticipated.
Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2020 draft, is fully healed from his finger injury. He is the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
Less than a week after slicing his right index finger, the third baseman — who could get time at first base this spring — is scheduled to travel with the Tigers to Bradenton on Tuesday for a five-inning game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is supposed to play at least one or two innings.
“He has healed and is just doing a couple of days of BP work,” Hinch said Monday. “The stitches are out and he’s progressing back to baseball stuff. He did the defending stuff the last few days, he’s throwing. Now he’s added hitting to it.”
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Miggy soon
Entering his 19th MLB season, Miguel Cabrera will make his debut as the designated hitter for Wednesday’s contest against the Philadelphia Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland.
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Hinch plans to use Cabrera at least once or twice per week at first base throughout the regular season, but he wants to ease the 37-year-old back into the infield during camp. He hasn’t played first base since June 2019.
“No problems with Miggy,” Hinch said. “Great interest in getting all these guys in, but I’ve got an individual plan for all these guys. But Miggy is fine. He got seven innings of live at-bats yesterday, and he’s going to do that again today back in Lakeland.”
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Paredes cleared; Mazara next
Outfielder Nomar Mazara, who inked a one-year, $1.75 million contract this winter, is in Lakeland awaiting the results of his COVID-19 intake screening and quarantining for five days. Hinch expects Mazara in camp by the middle of the week.
“I don’t have an update on the other guys,” Hinch said, referencing the travel and work visa delays regarding outfielder Victor Reyes, second baseman Jonathan Schoop and first baseman Renato Nunez. “Mazara is next in line.”
Third baseman Isaac Paredes, a 22-year-old prospect, completed his physical Monday morning and will take live at-bats at the Tigers’ facility in Lakeland. He will play against the Phillies on Wednesday, after a strong performance in the Mexican Pacific Winter League this offseason.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.