'He loves being a Tiger': Miggy relishing role as special assistant

LAKELAND, Fla. -- For years, Miguel Cabrera being in the best shape of his life seemed like an annual storyline every Spring Training, even if his health didn’t allow it to last. But as Cabrera walked onto the field at Joker Marchant Stadium Wednesday morning, the first day of his visit to Tigers camp for his role as a special assistant, the soon-to-be 42-year-old objectively looked in good shape in retirement while following his kids’ budding volleyball and baseball careers.

If you squint, it’s not hard to see him as a player.

“I miss playing baseball,” he said. “But then I think about how I can't do it anymore at high levels. It's OK. It was enough.”

This week is his chance to help the next generation.

“He’ll do a lot of different things,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think he’s going to be around first base, helping [Justyn-Henry Malloy] and Colt [Keith] in their transitions, and then he was in the [batting] cage this morning. …

“He’ll have something to do every day, which is awesome for our players and our coaches and on the [player-development] side. And he loves being a Tiger, so it’s good to see him.”

The first base work could be particularly valuable, because Cabrera knows the challenge of the transition. He was an outfielder and third baseman during his Marlins tenure, and didn’t play first base at all until he joined the Tigers. He played third for the first couple weeks of the 2008 season, his first in Detroit, before transitioning across the infield, swapping spots with converted shortstop Carlos Guillén.

What was the toughest part of that transition for him?

“Footwork,” he said.

Keith can relate. He has noted that challenge this spring.

“They're going to take some time,” Cabrera said. “It's not going to be there right away. The good thing is they're athletes. They move really well. It's going to take time, but I think they're going to do a good job.”

Cabrera also knows the challenge of following up a playoff run. He followed last season’s incredible run from afar.

“Yeah, it was awesome to see,” he said. “It was awesome to see the fans, the stadium, loud. It gave me a lot of memories. It was good to see. They have a good chance to win this year, too.

“Guys look good. They look strong. They don't look like babies anymore.”

Hinch raised the idea of Cabrera joining Hall of Famer Alan Trammell’s coaching staff for Sunday’s Spring Breakout game pitting Tigers top prospects against the Braves. But Cabrera, who rarely made road trips in Spring Training as a Tiger, sounded reluctant to make the trip to North Port.

“Too far,” he joked.

Meadows says he’s “trending up”

The progress has been slow for Parker Meadows in his work to reignite the musculocutaneous nerve in his upper right arm. But as he does light hitting and glove work, he remains optimistic about making a timely recovery.

“It's just a weird waiting game,” said Meadows, who added he still has a little numbness in the forearm but it’s tolerable.

It’s progress, but not enough progress to suggest he’s on the road to a return anytime soon.

“He’s just making incremental steps, whatever that means,” Hinch said. “And he’s not ready for games. He’s not close to games right now. But that could change as soon as we shake this nerve and wake it up. Things are better than they were, but still not full-go.”

Wenceel still sidelined

The Tigers had planned on Wenceel Pérez returning to action on Wednesday after missing more than a week with lower back tightness. But he was neither in the starting lineup nor on the lineup card for the game against the Rays.

Pérez experienced what Hinch called “residual soreness” after batting against Reese Olson in a simulated game Tuesday.

"Given where we're at in spring, given where we're at with our roster, we're being uber-cautious, and so he's not going to play today,” Hinch said. “We may even hold him out tomorrow."

With Meadows sidelined and Matt Vierling dealing with a right rotator cuff muscle strain that will land him on the injured list to open the season, the Tigers are wary of losing Pérez – their best healthy option in center field -- for the start of the season.

“We’ve just got to get this right,” Hinch said.

Lee, Liranzo re-assigned

The Tigers re-assigned No. 5 prospect Thayron Liranzo and No. 8 prospect Hao-Yu Lee to Minor League camp after Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Rays. Both were in camp as non-roster invites, and both are on the Detroit’s roster for Sunday’s Spring Breakout game against the Braves, so the moves had been expected this week.

The Tigers have 49 players left in Major League camp.