Lakeland, Fla. — Can a spring camp be a success if it ends with a ticket back to the minor leagues?
It may take a minute to feel that way, but for outfielder Parker Meadows, third baseman Andre Lipcius and right-handed reliever Brendan White, their first big-league camp was an unqualified success.
“They did an incredible job in camp with the opportunity they were given,” said manager AJ Hinch, who optioned those three players, plus right-hander Rony Garcia, to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday. “When you come to camp as a first-year 40-man player, you can do a lot of things. You can move your timeline up or you can move your timeline back.
“I told all of those guys they did nothing but help themselves. I developed a lot of trust in their work.”
Meadows leaves camp hitting .300 with a .767 slugging percentage and an MLB-leading four homers. Lipcius was hitting .273, slugging .636 with three home runs and 10 RBI. White, putting his elite slider to the test against big-league hitters, allowed one run in four innings with six strikeouts.
Hinch said Meadows and Lipcius would be called back over to play in more games before the end of camp.
Lefty Zach Logue was also sent out of camp Tuesday, reassigned to minor-league camp.
“I gave them all something to think about and do to make themselves better,” Hinch said. “But, I thought they showed well and handled themselves great. I can easily see all of them contributing at some point.”
It was a little different story for Garcia, who came in with a good shot at winning a long-reliever role. His velocity was down (barely hitting 90 mph with his fastball) and he ended up allowing five runs in five innings with three walks.
“We’ve got to get his body moving faster and his arm moving faster,” Hinch said. “He was disappointed. He came in with aspirations of making our team. We feel we have options that are better suited for our team right now.”
Hinch said Garcia would stay in the bulk-reliever role, building up to 40-50 pitches.
As for Logue, the starter-reliever hybrid put himself in a position to be an option at some point this season.
“He can be kind of a master-of-all option for us,” Hinch said. “We liked that his velocity ticked up and his changeup is a weapon. He’s kind of similar to Tyler (Alexander), where he can do a little of both (start or bullpen).
Around the horn
… There was some encouraging news regarding injured infielder Tyler Nevin (oblique). He has started doing baseball activities, including defensive drills and throwing. He is expected to start hitting off a tee by the end of the week.
… Infielder Andy Ibanez (left finger sprain) has left Team Cuba and is headed back to Lakeland. He is expected to be re-evaluated here and could return to game action soon. Barring complications or setbacks, it’s conceivable he could rejoin Team Cuba if they advance through their next round.
… The Tigers made an interesting, if not impulsive international signing Monday. Nicaraguan right-hander Duque Hebbert, 21, was signed by Tigers’ scout Luis Molina almost immediately after he struck out Dominican Republic stars Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez and Rafael Devers in an early WBC game. He’s one of the rare international players who wasn’t signed before he turned 18.
… Right-hander Trevor Rosenthal was scheduled to throw his first live batting practice session Tuesday. It is expected to be the first of several live sessions as he builds toward getting into some game action. The former All-Star closer has thrown just two minor-league innings since 2020.
Twitter: @cmccosky