Hinch on Torkelson: 'Keep rolling him out'

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The can-opening incident was a light-hearted introduction to Spring Training for Spencer Torkelson. It was never expected to be the most healthy cut he took in camp.

This is not the way Torkelson envisioned his first camp unfolding. This is also not the way the Tigers want their top prospect to head into his first Minor League stop, which is part of the reason they’re going to keep him around a little longer after the team made its first round of roster moves Friday morning.

Torkelson is slated to play at some point in every Grapefruit League game until Thursday’s off-day, manager A.J. Hinch said.

“We’re gonna keep rolling him out there and getting him some experience,” Hinch said Thursday after Torkelson made a throwing error at third base. “But we’ve got to remember, we need to find a way to have him leave the day having some fun.

“It’s easy to beat yourself up when you make mistakes or you punch out. It’s relatively meaningless, especially in a career that’s just getting started, but it’s no fun to go through what he’s going through at this level. He wants to make a big impression, and it feels like it’s piling up on him, but we still think he’s a pretty good player.”

Torkelson is still looking for his first hit of camp. He’s 0-for-15 with nine strikeouts in Grapefruit League play after going 0-for-2 in Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Yankees in Lakeland, Fla. He struck out on three pitches in the seventh inning against Nestor Cortes Jr., capped by a called third strike seemingly off the outside corner, according to Statcast. Torkelson came back up in the ninth as the potential tying run and had a first-pitch fastball in the zone, but he flied out to left to end the game.

The frustration has been evident. Torkelson has slammed his bat after some at-bats, and he's hung his head after strikeouts.

In many ways, this is the first competitive environment for Torkelson since his last college game at Arizona State last March. He went almost straight from the MLB Draft to Detroit's Summer Camp, where he faced new teammates in intrasquad games. He did the same at the alternate training site before heading to the Florida Instructional League.

Torkelson is getting back to game intensity by facing Major League pitching in many Grapefruit League games, or advanced Minor League pitchers in others. He said last week that he’s getting more out of Spring Training than in Summer Camp and that the games have slowed down for him, but he also acknowledged the difference in competition.

“It’s really difficult to compare the two, to be honest with you,” Torkelson said last week. “You’re not facing a 20-year-old taking classes every day. You’re facing a 25-year-old that’s been doing this for a living for a couple years, which is fun and it’s great, and I feel comfortable up there.”

Teheran finds velo
Julio Teheran lingered on the free-agent market because he struggled last year with a fastball that didn’t get above 90 mph. For the second time this week, Teheran averaged 92 mph with his four-seamer and sinker Friday, a good sign in his attempt to win a rotation spot as a non-roster invitee.

Teheran allowed two runs on four hits (all singles) and struck out three in three innings. He induced 10 swings and misses on 53 pitches, half of them off his slider.

“I feel like my arm is ready,” Teheran said. “It’s good, especially my two-seamer. I’m getting it where I want it. My slider is the best it’s been in a while. I remember the last time I felt like my slider was like that, it was 2016 at the start of the season. That’s the kind of confidence that I have right now.”

Burrows, Funkhouser, Hess among moves
The Tigers made 11 roster moves Friday, mostly on the pitching side. Beau Burrows, Alex Faedo, Kyle Funkhouser and Joey Wentz were optioned to Triple-A Toledo, while Dillon Dingler, Zack Hess, Gerson Moreno, Daniel Pinero, Jacob Robson, Aderlin Rodriguez and Danny Woodrow were re-assigned to minicamp.

All of the moves were expected. Faedo and Wentz were formalities. Faedo is out for the season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery; Wentz underwent the same surgery a year ago and he is expected to return to Minor League action this summer.

Burrows and Funkhouser were the only ones in the bunch with a chance to win roster spots. Burrows, the Tigers’ top pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, tossed 1 1/3 perfect innings March 1 against the Yankees, then gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Orioles on Saturday. Funkhouser, who also appeared in those two games, gave up a three-run inning against the O’s after walking two Yankees in a scoreless inning.

With the Triple-A season delayed a month, Burrows and Funkhouser will be part of the alternate training site in Toledo when the season opens. They’ll stretch out as long relievers to be ready for different scenarios.

“I think, right now, we’re going to leave them hovering in that two- and three-inning conditioning role where we need 50 pitches out of them,” Hinch said. “That’s not saying they won’t start at some point during the Minor League season -- if they’re in the Minors -- but we need to be smart with how we build them up.”