Tigers' No. 8 prospect Lee getting reps at 3B

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee was exulting in victory in a batting-practice hitting contest Saturday morning when bench coach George Lombard joined the celebration. Congratulations, Lombard said, now you get to go help out on pitchers¡¯ fielding practice.

Welcome to Major League camp, kid.

The ball has been jumping off Lee¡¯s bat all week in informal batting practice, making a strong early impression for the Tigers¡¯ No. 8 prospect and Spring Training non-roster invitee. Just as notable as the bat, though, has been the glove. After spending the vast majority of his past two seasons playing at second base, including last year at Double-A Erie, the Taiwanese infielder has been taking grounders and defensive work at third.

As the Tigers survey their internal options at third following Alex Bregman¡¯s decision to sign with the Red Sox, Lee seemingly has a chance to enter the picture long term. This Spring Training could be an opportunity to lay the groundwork while Jace Jung, Matt Vierling, Andy Ib¨¢?ez and Zach McKinstry compete for playing time at the hot corner this season.

Lee isn¡¯t a complete stranger to third. He started nine games there last year at Erie, eight games in 2023 at High-A Jersey Shore in the Phillies¡¯ system and 19 games in '22 at Single-A Clearwater. He has nine errors charged in 36 games there, but evaluators who saw him at third last year suggest he was fine.

Lee¡¯s bat could fit at a number of positions. He hit .298/.363/.488 at Erie last year with 19 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 56 RBIs and 55 runs scored in 87 games. He also went 16-for-17 in stolen-base attempts.

Before thinking about Lee¡¯s potential fit in Detroit, however, remember that Lee still has yet to see time at Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers like to have players bounce around multiple positions at that level, another reason getting Lee acclimated to third in camp makes sense.

Flores working towards return

A year ago, Wilmer Flores was one of the revelations of Tigers camp, reaching 99 mph with his fastball while showing improved command. The performance seemingly had lined him up to enter the Tigers¡¯ relief picture at some point during the season, but inconsistency and injuries dashed those hopes. Now, Flores is back in camp, this time as a non-roster invitee, hoping to reset his career trajectory.

At this point, however, Flores has to focus on rehab. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection in January to address right shoulder soreness and is still a ways from resuming a throwing program.

¡°Just working on my body, getting stronger, getting healthy to start throwing in three weeks, a month,¡± Flores said.

Flores said he battled similar soreness last season, when he was limited to 31 innings over 20 games across three levels of the Tigers' system. He struggled to hold his velocity with consistency.

¡°It¡¯s a tough game,¡± said Flores, who has been in Lakeland since early January. ¡°You¡¯ve got to stay strong in the mind and physically, and just go day by day and be consistent with your work.¡±

Dingler dons historic number

Dillon Dingler became the latest Tigers catcher to wear No. 13 when he changed his jersey number this offseason, giving up No. 38 to free-agent signing Alex Cobb. But while Dingler is the latest in a line that includes Lance Parrish, Vance Wilson, Alex Avila and Eric Haase, he said history wasn¡¯t on his mind when he made the switch.

¡°It was probably one of the better [numbers] that was available,¡± Dingler said. ¡°No real thing behind it. Once I figured [the history] out, that was awesome.¡±

If Dingler could pick any jersey number, it might be 10. He wore it in all three sports he played in high school, including as a wide receiver in football. But once the Tigers retired No. 10 for Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland, Dingler knew he had to look for alternatives.