The Tigers signed Gleyber Torres to play second base, and second base is where he will play. Their stance hasn't changed with the resurgence of Spencer Torkelson, whose bat has pushed Colt Keith from first base back to second.
Asked if Torres might be open to playing third or elsewhere when he returns from the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique, A.J. Hinch said before Friday's home opener, "We haven't even had the conversation."
"I don’t really know why that would be a topic," Hinch said on 97.1 The Ticket. "Gleyber is our second baseman when he’s healthy, Colt moved to first and Tork obviously hit his way into this lineup. It doesn't really change a ton, but it’s not even a topic that we’ve covered or that we’ve talked about because we expect Gleyber to be our second baseman."
Torres signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers in the offseason to strictly play second base. Part of the reason he moved on from the Yankees and then reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer from the Nationals than the one he signed in Detroit is that both the Yankees and Nationals wanted him to move to third.
The Tigers accommodated his desire to stay at second to add a proven right-handed bat to their lineup. Torres accepted a one-year deal to rebuild his value after a down season in hopes of cashing in next winter. The Tigers didn't really account for Torkelson in the plan, expecting the former No. 1 pick to start the year in Triple-A. But then Torkelson hit his way back onto the roster and into the middle of the Tigers' lineup.
It raises the question of how the Tigers will keep all three bats in the lineup once Torres returns.
"You saw it," said Hinch. "You saw it on the first trip before Gleyber got hurt. All of those guys were in the lineup every day, so I don’t think it really impacts who’s in the lineup or how to get the bats in the lineup. I think it impacts the positioning. (Kerry Carpenter) plays a little more outfield, Tork has DH’d and played first, Colt has DH’d and played first and played second, so it hasn’t deterred us from getting the bats in the lineup that we want."
In the two games for which Torres was healthy, Torres played second, Keith played first, Torkelson was the designated hitter and all of them hit in the top six spots in the lineup. Torkelson has since taken over at first and Keith has returned to second, which has allowed Hinch to use the DH spot on Justyn-Henry Malloy, Riley Greene and Carpenter.
As for the outfield -- center field, in particular -- Hinch likes the alignment of Ryan Kreidler in center and Greene and Carpenter in the corners, with Malloy as the DH: "That's probably the general outfield I'm gonna go with," he said.
Of course, Hinch is switching it up for the home opener, with Greene getting the start in center: "I'm just going day by day and sorting out when to put in whatever strength we want."
"I’ve turned to Kreidler a lot as a defensive-first player and trying to give him some consistent playing time and leave Riley in left. Probably going to give Riley a game off at some point and be conservative with how much load we put on him, as we are with all of our guys," said Hinch. "I’m not afraid to play Riley in center field. I think it’s really important for everyone to know that. The trade-off is really the defensive-first mindset versus trying to squeeze out a little more offense."
Hinch added that Manuel Margot will continue to get playing time if he produces and that Andy Ibañez, who typically only plays against lefties, might "mix in some at-bats against righties, which could push Zach McKinstry to the outfied."
"It's truly a mix and match of multiple positions," said Hinch. "It’s not just about center field, but I like the lineup with Kreidler in center and Riley in a corner and Carp in a corner, specifically with Malloy here."