DETROIT — Detroit Tigers outfielder Andy Dirks took his first live batting practice swings on Friday, according to manager Brad Ausmus, who expected Dirks to receive a rehab assignment within the next week to 10 days.

“Probably, unless there’s some sort of setback,” Ausmus said. “I don’t have a date, not in terms of a rehab. I’m sure it’ll be within the next week to 10 days. But there’s no date, as of now.”

Head trainer Kevin Rand said Dirks took some live swings in an intrasquad game in Lakeland, Fla., and will play in a couple more intrasquad games.

Even if Dirks requires the maximum 10 days before getting his assignment, and stays the full 20 days in the minors allowed on a rehab assignment, that would put him in Detroit right at the All-Star break.

Dirks had microdiscectomy on March 10, during spring training, and was expected to miss 12 weeks. He began light baseball activities on May 10, then graduated to taking full swings two weeks later.

“Yeah, I talked to Dirks actually today. He said he’s feeling better,” Ausmus said. “Overall, he’s making progress like he’s on schedule, he’s making progress like he’s supposed to.”

DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera (hamstring cramp) and Joba Chamberlain (right ankle contusion) both left Sunday’s game early, a half-inning apart, and are day-to-day.

In the seventh inning of a 10-run game, Cabrera singled through the left side. On a foul ball by Don Kelly, Cabrera appeared to pull up lame, and hobbled almost all the way to second base.

Trainer Kevin Rand and manager Brad Ausmus immediately came out to check on him, and replaced him with pinch runner Bryan Holaday.

“He said he could stay in. If this was Sept. 19, and this was an important game, and we weren’t down by 10, it would’ve been a different story,” Ausmus said.

“There was no reason to take a risk. Just get him out of there.”

Cabrera is coming off surgery in the offseason to repair a core muscle injury.

Chamberlain got kicked in the foot trying to cover the bag at first base on an infield hit by Rougned Odor. Rand and Ausmus went out to check on him, but left him in, then pulled him after he walked Shin-Soo Choo.

Ausmus said the concern level about Chamberlain was low, but had not yet spoken with Cabrera or Rand.

Cabrera said it was just a cramp, and he already felt better, after the game.

DETROIT — The minute Andrew Romine hit his first career home run Friday night, ending an 0-for-28 streak, manager Brad Ausmus hoped aloud that it portended good things for the Tigers shortstop.

He was right.

Romine went 2-for-4 with a couple singles in Saturday’s game, then — after spending 10 minutes or so working with hitting coach Wally Joyner after the contest — added an RBI single in his first at-bat Sunday, giving him four hits in the span of seven at-bats.

It had taken 13 games before that to collect four hits.

“It’s funny, because I know he was working with Wally after the game. So, despite the fact that he had some good at-bats, there was something he felt was not quite right. He just took about 10 minutes to fine-tune something,” Ausmus said Sunday morning.

“He certainly looked a lot more comfortable at the plate, whether it was psychological, physical, I couldn’t tell you. But I was hoping that maybe that home run would be the start of something good, and it looks like it’s headed in that direction, and I hope it continues.”

While it’s a good sign that Romine is bringing his bat around, it’s just as important that he never let his struggles at the plate impact his play in the field.

“Those are two different things to me,” he said. “Being at the plate, once I’m not at the plate, I’m not a hitter anymore, I’m a fielder — or I’m a runner, if I put the ball in play. To me, there’s no comparison to them. They don’t carry over to me. Going out and playing defense is what I’m here for.”

That’s what his manager expected out of a guy who — despite just 70 career big-league starts — has been around the block, playing in 700 minor-league contests.

“Really young players are the ones you see that happen to,” Ausmus said. He’s been around enough, and he plays a premium position, defensively, so I think he’s learned coming up through the minors, and these short stints in the big leagues that taking your offense to shortstop with you is not going to help you stick around.”

DETROIT — Of any of the injury rehabilitations Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has had to explain, the easiest for him to talk about has probably been Andy Dirks’ recovery from microdiscectomy to repair a disc in his back.

After all, Ausmus had that very surgery in 2010, so he knows what steps are necessary for Dirks to make it back.

“I was trying to think of that when I was reading the report on him couple days ago. I remember kind of easily doing some of the stuff he did: throwing and taking dry swings. You take some swings off the tee, and soft toss. Then it goes relatively quickly after that,” Ausmus said Saturday.

“I think once the doctors feel you can rotate without any issues, it went relatively quickly from dry swings to going to batting practice, and then rehab.”

Dirks has been doing light baseball activities for two weeks, including the dry swings and throwing that Ausmus remembered.

Initially, it was anticipated that Dirks would be facing a 12-week recovery process from surgery on May 10.

That set the potential return date for the first week of June — which is rapidly approaching.

Even with the thought that it may move quickly from here on out, it would be surprising if Dirks is back with the Tigers in early June. It may not even be late June.

As interminable as the wait seems for fans, it’s gotta be worse for Dirks.

Ausmus remembers what that’s like, too.

“Boring. I actually, except for the first week after surgery, traveled with the team. I was with the Dodgers, so I was traveling with the team. I didn’t do much. Other than for a while, just walking on the treadmill was all I could do. I would watch the game every night, but I literally couldn’t do anything,” the manager said.

“It got a little boring. I would imagine Dirks is even more bored, because he’s not with the team. I could at least go out and have a beer with some of the players after the game. I don’t know who he’s hanging out with.”

Getting an appointment with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews is like getting called to the principal’s office.

You might be in trouble.

Turns out Luke Putkonen’s trip to Florida to see Andrews for a second opinion this week was not as indicative of trouble as it could have been.

There’s no discussion of surgery just yet for Putkonen’s sore throwing elbow, as Andrews confirmed the previous diagnosis, and recommended continued rehabilitation.

“Yes. No talk of surgery right now. Treatment and rehabilitation,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Andrews looked at him, looked at the MRI, and kind of made the same diagnosis that was made before. So just going to continue treatment and rehab, see if they can work it out.”

Putkonen has been on the disabled list since April 19 with inflammation in his right (throwing) elbow. He made three rehabilitation appearances — one at Class A West Michigan and two at Triple-A Toledo — before being shelved again soon after his last outing on May 13, when he gave up four runs on four hits.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published on www.TheOaklandPress.com on Sunday, May 11, but is being republished here, due to a broken link.]

DETROIT — Robbie Ray did his job.

The rookie, acquired in the Doug Fister trade, came up and made two excellent spot starts, holding the fort with Anibal Sanchez on the disabled list.

He got on the plane for Baltimore with the rest of the Tigers after Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, when he threw six scoreless innings, but the bullpen and two misplays in the outfield blew his chances at a second win.

Couldn’t ask for much better of a start to a career.

“It went pretty well. I don’t know if I could ask for anything more — maybe a complete game. But, no, I couldn’t ask for anything more from the first two starts,” said the 22-year-old Ray, with a wry smile. “It feels good. You feel good about yourself, and you carry yourself a little better. The nerves weren’t there today. I was a little more calm after the first start. It definitely feels good, though.

“To do that over a five-day basis, you feel like you belong.”

But, contrary to the popular groundswell of opinion, he’ll probably get on a plane from Baltimore and rejoin the Toledo Mud Hens at home next Wednesday, as long as everything plays out well in Sanchez’s simulated game on Tuesday.

At that point, Ray’s job as a fill-in starter will be over — until they might need him again.

Could he stay with the Tigers, and pitch out of the bullpen? Sure, that’s possible.

But then, once he’s no longer stretched out as a starter (as happened to Drew Smyly last year), they’ll have to find someone else to fill the role that Ray inherited when the Tigers traded for him.

Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to change the plan mid-stream.

“We’ve discussed (Ray’s role). The truth is, he probably has to pitch, wherever he is. If and when Anibal Sanchez comes back, there’s going to have to be a decision made with him, but I think the best thing for Robbie Ray would be to continue to pitch, to continue to work on that curveball, and to polish his other pitches to be a major-league starter,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday.

“He’s had two outings here, and pitched well, filled in nicely. But I do think, in the big picture, he needs to pitch. He’s still a young kid.”

Ray has pitched one game in relief as a professional — the warm-up inning he threw at Toledo before his call-up. He’s willing to do whatever the Tigers ask of him.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing, which is whatever is asked of me,” Ray said. “If that’s the bullpen, great. I’d love to stay up here. I know that I’m a starting pitcher, but I’m absolutely open to whatever I can do to help out the team.”

That begs the question: How CAN he best help the team?

Is it as a starter, ready to plug in, should injury (or doubleheaders) strike? Or is it as a reliever, who might give the big-league bullpen a boost, but whose short-term progress is stifled by a move to a new role?

“I mean, we’ll make that decision when we have to. But generally speaking, if you want him to be a starter at the major league level, he has to pitch as a starter. Now, does that mean he couldn’t fill in in the bullpen? Sure, he absolutely could. But the question is, is it best for Robbie Ray to pitch as a starter, or as a reliever, long term?” said Ausmus, noting that Ray is still working on rounding out his repertoire.

“As a starter at the Major League level, you need at least three pitches. The change-up is his best pitch, the most consistent off-speed pitch. But I think to put him over the top, it’s going to be the curveball, eventually.

“It comes and goes. He messed with it in spring training, and it’s coming along slowly. But it’s going to be inconsistent.”

To maximize the value for that trade, the Tigers need Ray to be ready to step into the rotation next season, once free agency begins to open up holes.

They also need him to be ready to start.

Just ask a team like the Angels how fun it is to not have enough pitching depth. Their “sixth starter” is Jose Alvarez, who held that same role with the Tigers last year. He, too, got a win and a no-decision in his first two spot starts with the team.

Detroit lost his remaining four starts last season. Oh, and he gave up five home runs in 4 2/3 innings in his last minor-league start for the Angels.

No, Ray is best off doing his job.

And staying put as a starter.

A quick update on some of the Tigers’ injuries:

• Andy Dirks has moved out of the rehabilitation phase of his recovery from back surgery in early March. Dirks had microdiscectomy surgery on March 10, and was expected to need 12 weeks of recovery, starting with three weeks of complete rest, and three weeks of therapy.

He’s closer to nine weeks out, now.

“He threw the other day for the first time, and he can take dry swings. Just swing a bat easy. That’s where he’s at. I guess the very beginnings of baseball activities,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who had the same surgery in 2010.

“We’re coming up on two months, really. It’s kind of a three-month injury. I think it was three months. Whenever the exact date of the surgery was, roughly three months from there. Everyone’s a little different.”

A twelve-week estimate would put land Dirks’ target return date in the first week of June.


• Anibal Sanchez felt fine after Friday’s bullpen session.

“Sanchie is going to throw a simulated (game) in Baltimore on Tuesday,” Ausmus said.

On the DL since April 27, Sanchez said Friday night he expects to return to the rotation on May 18, against Boston.


• Luke Putkonen threw two innings in his second rehabilitation outing Friday night, giving up a run on two hits. He will make another appearance in Toledo on Tuesday, according to Ausmus, and should be good to go after that.

“Should be, yeah. If it continues as it is right now,” Ausmus said.

Putkonen has been on the disabled list since April 19 with inflammation in his throwing elbow.

DETROIT — The criticism is always there.

It’s there when people and pundits assume it will be easy for the Detroit Tigers — masters of the American League Central for three straight years — to push their streak to four.

And it’s there to add scorn on top of the heap when the Tigers don’t necessarily always run away with it, as they currently appear to be.

“It’s a weak division.”

Coming into Friday’s play, the AL Central was the only division in Major League Baseball with just one team over .500. (The White Sox came in right at .500, with an 18-18 record so far.)

In fact, only the National League Central had as few as two teams with winning records.

Former manager Jim Leyland always got sensitive when the topic was brought up.

His successor does not.

“I didn’t notice it, and I really don’t care. Doesn’t bother me what people say. Our goal is the same, whether people think it’s a good division or a bad division. The goal is to win the division,” Brad Ausmus said.

“In 1997, the Houston Astros played in what was deemed a bad division. I think we won the division with 84 wins. Still won the division. Didn’t make it any less fun winning the division.”

The Astros had the 10th-best winning percentage that season.

The Tigers, for reference, have the best record in baseball, coming into Friday’s games (.667, 20-10). More than half those wins (11) came against AL Central teams, a small slice of the reason that the other teams are .500 or worse.

And factor in this, as well: Teams in the AL Central have the third-best winning percentage (.512, 40-38) against teams from other divisions in baseball. Only the NL East (.550) and the AL East (.520) rank higher, the latter only because of an 0-3 day by AL Central teams.


(hat tip to Chris Creamer for the 

standings after Wednesday’s games)
Records against other divisions:
(Heading into Friday’s games) 
NL East.......44-36..... .550
AL East.......38-35..... .520
AL Central...40-38..... .512
NL West......38-37..... .506
AL West......39-35..... .453
NL Central...25-33..... .431