Clearwater, Fla. — Not that it came as any surprise to anyone — Harold Castro included — but the guy known as “Hittin’ Harold” indeed is going north Wednesday with the Tigers ahead of Friday’s season opener against the White Sox at Comerica Park.
But that’s where the commitments ended Sunday as the Tigers got ready to play the Phillies at Clearwater.
AJ Hinch, the Tigers manager who joins with his boss, Al Avila, in setting an Opening Day roster, was holding off on other contestants. Notably, the group includes Willi Castro, who seemingly got a roster-rescue when Riley Greene broke his foot Friday and now has been lost for perhaps the first month (or longer).
Castro primarily is an infielder. But he has had work in the outfield, which is now an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Tigers. Not only is Greene gone, but Derek Hill has hamstring issues that will keep him away from Comerica Park for at least a couple of weeks.
Why, then, the hesitation on Castro?
“What I don’t want to do is inform ‘em if I’m not 100 percent,” Hinch said, which could properly be construed as the Tigers preferring more options as they set their 28-man roster limit for Opening Day.
Castro’s bat isn’t to be confused with swinging the brand of lumber MLB teams prefer in the outfield. Nor is his heritage as an infielder of great help as Hinch sizes up contingencies.
But the Tigers are stuck — as much as they might choose another word. Greene is gone, Hill is hurting, and seeking outside help is complicated by the lack of great and practical options on the market. Free agent Michael Conforto and his chase for a $100-million contract isn’t viewed as the kind of availability the Tigers can or would consider in April of 2022.
Also working against signing outside help is the fact the Tigers’ 40-man roster is jammed with people they’d prefer to keep.
It isn’t only the outfield where Hinch and Avila are keeping their “Congratulations, kid, you made it” pronouncements deep in their vest pocket.
The bullpen is also a murky landscape, especially after Andrew Chafin developed groin problems that will keep him out of the early April picture.
Will Vest, Jason Foley, Rony Garcia, Jacob Barnes: Hinch isn’t sure who, or how many of those gents, he might include on Wednesday’s team flight to Detroit.
Part of the reason is simple mathematical configuration: Hinch said Sunday he wasn’t yet resolved on whether to go with 15 position players and 13 pitchers, or opt for a 14-14 mix.
The other issue is what a manager might expect from the above cast, not that most MLB teams are being overly picky as they prepare to dive into a condensed 2022 schedule, with spring camp crimped by a three-month lockout.
Hinch acknowledged Sunday that a golden-oldie description of bullpens and their unpredictability — “mercurial” — might as well be printed in boldface in the early days of 2022.
Bullpens nearly everywhere have been stretched, and will be as the new season begins. That means certain pitchers who perhaps were not overly impressive — or worse — during spring games will be carried anyway.
It was no knock on his competing cast that Hinch wasn’t ready to name names on Sunday. What he hopes to see in this week’s dwindling Florida games is something that mandates he carry some of the above.
And, ideally, that he feel good about it.
Lynn Henning is a freelance writer and former Detroit News sports reporter.