Running still a problem for recovering Jackson

DETROIT -- Austin Jackson has resumed taking batting practice and shagging fly balls in center field, but he's not close enough yet on his running to make a Minor League rehab assignment.

Jackson, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 12 with a pulled left hamstring, felt soreness after running the bases at 80 percent speed on Friday in Baltimore. He hasn't run the bases since, and he didn't do anything on the Tigers' off-day on Monday, which he said helped ease the soreness.

The plan, head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said on Tuesday, is for Jackson to start running the bases again sometime this week.

Jackson will need at least a few games of a rehab assignment to get his timing back at the plate and see fly balls in game situations before rejoining the Tigers. Add the steps together, and a return seems unlikely until next week, at the earliest.

With Jackson out, Avisail Garcia is getting the bulk of the starts in center field.

"Garcia's been doing well. We've been playing him ahead of [Don] Kelly a little bit," Leyland said on Monday, "because he's accounted for himself OK and Donnie hasn't hit much."