Tigers adjust to new normal as workouts open

DETROIT -- The music blared through Comerica Park’s sound system Friday morning as pitchers and catchers went to work in an otherwise empty ballpark. Matthew Boyd and Casey Mize chatted as they ran the warning track. Miguel Cabrera, JaCoby Jones and Jake Rogers took their hacks in the batting cage. Nick Ramirez and Tyler Alexander threw their side sessions in the Tigers' bullpen.

In some ways, it felt like pregame work, set to the soundtrack from last year’s batting practice. In many other ways, Friday’s inaugural Summer Camp workout was clearly not business as usual.

“It was pretty weird,” Michael Fulmer said. “I think it's even more weird in the clubhouse, where we are wearing masks. Outside, it wasn't bad. Obviously you have your group of pitchers working out, separated. Everybody’s got their camouflaged sack of baseballs that we use, and we make sure that we’re staying six feet apart. There’s X’s in the dugout where we can and can’t stand. You have come down to the field one way and back onto the field another way.”

Fulmer said all this on a camera designated for interviews on video conferencing, with a Tigers backdrop, separate from the three clubhouses the team is using to accommodate 59 players in Summer Camp while promoting social distancing.

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The handshakes and fist bumps teammates usually do are now elbow bumps, something manager Ron Gardenhire had to adjust to as he congratulated Fulmer on his first mound work at Comerica Park in 22 months.

“It’s really different,” said Jones, who took batting practice once the pitchers were done. “It’s kind of weird not being able to shake hands and just get close and talk to people and goof around. But it was fun being back on the field and trying to get back in the groove and take BP at Comerica again.”

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That seemed to be the prevailing sentiment. As strange as it all felt, it beat the three-plus months players and coaches spent waiting and hoping for a season.

“It's going to take some getting used to,” Fulmer said, “but as long as we're playing baseball, I can get used to just about anything.”

That’s the feeling Gardenhire is counting on to help his team adjust to the new normal, on and off the field.

“We're all aware. We've all got to adhere to the protocols; everything that [MLB is] telling us,” Gardenhire said. “Away from the field, you've got to take care of yourself, you've got to wear your mask, stay away from big crowds. There's a lot of people involved in this clubhouse, not just the team itself, our bosses and clubhouse kids. So to do the right thing, make sure that when you're away from the field, you're doing the right thing and taking care of it, so you don't bring it back and harm somebody else. I think our guys understand that. We're pounding it into their head as much as we possibly can, and hopefully, we'll all do that the right way.”

Stokes out with fractured hand

Outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. made an impression in Spring Training with a strong performance at the plate and seemed to be in the running for a roster spot, which made his omission from the 60-man player pool a surprise when it was announced on Sunday. Now we know why: an injury that could cost him the season.

According to Gardenhire, Stokes sustained a broken bone in his hand -- Gardenhire didn’t know which one -- that required surgery to repair.

“It's tough, because the kid had made a good impression on us,” Gardenhire said, “and his name, when we start talking about people we'd like to see come into this camp and have an opportunity, he was one of them. But we all know injuries are part of it, unfortunate as it may be, and he's going to have to battle back from that.”

Gardenhire didn’t rule out the possibility of Stokes returning in time to join the player pool. But with the shortened season and limited opportunities to rehab, chances appear slim.

“When you’re talking about our season, and then trying to come back from an injury, and you’re talking about more than a month, when you start breaking it down, it’s going to be tough,” Gardenhire said.

Quick hits

• Gardenhire said some players are in the testing process to be cleared to take part in workouts, though he didn’t have an exact count.

“The tests part of it, we don't really talk a lot about,” he said, “but they're still proving people are eligible to play and they go through the process.”

• Other players, Gardenhire said, are trying to get back into the country. Major League Baseball has reportedly arranged for flights to get players back in from some Latin American countries. Others are traveling on their own.

• The Tigers released 27 Minor League players today, their first round of releases this year aside from non-roster invite Alex Wilson last week. The moves coincided with MLB Draft signings and undrafted free-agent deals. In a normal season, the moves would’ve taken place at the end of Spring Training or right after the Draft.