Miggy's rundown at third ... while playing first

A.J. Hinch has yet to manage the Tigers in a regular-season game, but he already knows what his predecessors learned about Miguel Cabrera and his love to play in the field.

“This is going to be a fun play here,” Hinch told Fox Sports Detroit on Wednesday during the Tigers' 4-1 win over the Phillies, as Cabrera fielded a Darick Hall ground ball in the second inning and spotted Andrew Knapp between third and home.

By the time the play was over, Cabrera was across the infield at third base, having just missed out on a double play. He settled for an unassisted putout, having run down Knapp by himself.

Hinch, meanwhile, had another example how much more involved the soon-to-be 38-year-old Cabrera feels when he’s playing first base, instead of sitting in the dugout between at-bats as a designated hitter.

“Every time I put Miggy at first, he ends up in a rundown,” Hinch joked to play-by-play broadcaster Matt Shepard and Hall of Famer Jack Morris. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

Asked how he feels about that, Hinch joked, “I feel really good right now that it’s over.”

Cabrera was notably energetic Wednesday before the play. Fox Sports Detroit cameras caught him grabbing first-base umpire Joe West for a picture together before the game.

Cabrera might not have the Triple Crown skills of his prime, but he still has a keen field awareness. When he fielded Hall’s grounder, he immediately turned to third and ran across the infield, just in front of the mound. He swerved toward home to guide Knapp back toward third, then tagged him when Knapp realized third was about to be occupied.

Cabrera, too, realized that Odúbel Herrera was breaking for third. He flipped the ball to shortstop Willi Castro, who was covering the bag. Herrera slid in around him, just ahead of the tag. Cabrera patted him on the back, likely to compliment him on his hustle.

Cabrera made another nice play in the fifth inning, fielding an Adam Haseley grounder on a tough hop down the first-base line and throwing to pitcher José Ureña at the bag for the out.

“When I took Ureña out, [Cabrera] made sure that I recognize the good plays that he’s made,” Hinch said after the win. “He’s fun to be around, and he loves playing on both sides.”

Moreover, Hinch said, “He’s arguably the best first baseman we have.”

The chance to play first base in some games this season has been a big motivation for Cabrera, who has been exclusively a DH since the middle of the 2019 season. Cabrera worked on his agility, leg strength and back during the offseason, in hopes of warding off the nagging injuries that have limited him the past few years.

Hinch, in turn, has been consistent in saying that Cabrera will get time at first, essentially calling it a rotation.

“With Miggy playing there, whether it’s one or two or three times a week, that’s going to factor in [to roster decisions],” Hinch said Wednesday morning. “That automatically makes it not a permanent position for our team.”

That also opens up some starts at DH, which could allow Hinch to rest some of his infielders while keeping them in the lineup, or to start catcher Wilson Ramos there for some games.

“I’ve got a plan in place,” Hinch said after the game. “I don’t really want to commit to anything until we get into the season and see how it’s going and how other guys are doing, quite honestly. I mean, there’s more to it than just a pre-planned schedule for [Cabrera] to be able to get out there, but I’m paying attention to it.”

Krol, Ramírez won’t make Opening Day roster
While Julio Teheran and Tarik Skubal received the good news Wednesday morning that they had made the Opening Day roster, relievers Ian Krol and Erasmo Ramírez were told that they will not.

Both will remain with the club through the end of Major League Spring Training. Both are in camp as non-roster invites, and could end up as depth options in Triple-A Toledo for potential midseason call-ups.

Krol, vying to return to the Majors for the first time since 2018, overcame a rough outing early in camp to put together a strong spring. The 29-year-old lefty has six scoreless innings on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts, several of them on his sharp curveball.

Ramírez, a well-traveled long reliever, has 11 2/3 innings of one-run ball on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts. He has six-plus seasons of Major League service time, and has the right to ask for his release and test the free-agent market for other opportunities. If he accepts an assignment to Toledo, he would be eligible for a $100,000 retention bonus.

Neither Krol and Ramírez were facing an opt-out deadline for being added to the roster. In their cases, Hinch wanted to let them know where they stood heading into the final days of camp.

Quick hits
• Bryan Garcia and Tyler Alexander both made scoreless appearances Wednesday after struggling in relief Tuesday. Garcia struck out his lone batter Wednesday after walking two batters and hitting another on Tueday. Alexander, who gave up two homers Tuesday, struck out two Phillies in a perfect inning Wednesday.

• Ureña sacrificed strikeouts for efficiency Wednesday, tossing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on five hits in just 65 pitches in his next-to-last start of spring. He did not strike out a batter, but his lone extra-base hit was a Darick Hall double.