Six years after he was drafted, Derek Hill is getting his shot with the Tigers.
Ron Gardenhire announced on 97.1 The Ticket Wednesday morning that Detroit is calling up Hill from its alternate training site in Toledo to replace JaCoby Jones, who fractured his hand in Tuesday night's win over the Brewers.
Hill, a first-round pick in 2014, is an elite center fielder. He flashed his glove frequently in Summer Camp and will give Gardenhire and the Tigers flexibility on defense and speed off the bench.
"He’s an exiting young player, and this will be a good opportunity for him to get some experience," Gardenhire said.
For now, Gardenhire said Victor Reyes will take over in center, while the team will 'ad-lib' at the corner spots. Hill, 24, can find his way into more playing time if he proves he can hack it at the plate.
"He’s going to bring it, where we can make defensive shifts late in the game. That’s his speciality, defense," said Gardenhire. "He’s got a little bit to learn about hitting and he’s gotta figure that out as we go along here."
Either way, Hill's athleticism will help make up for the loss of Jones, who's played a big role in Detroit's strong start.
"That’s heartbreaking," Gardenhire said. "He was pretty frustrated. He was playing well, swinging well, doing everything for us. It’s going to be tough to replace that guy because he can really play some baseball. He’s made so many improvements in his game and his whole mentality.
"It's a bummer. We’ll just have to move forward."