LAKELAND, Fla. -- Perhaps the Wilson glove representatives had a good sense of timing as they made their visit to Tigertown on Saturday morning. While Josh Harrison arrived in town to undergo his physical exam to complete his one-year contract to become the Tigers’ second baseman, Niko Goodrum picked up a new batch of gloves to work in this spring among his arsenal of various position leather.

Goodrum now has 10 gloves with him in camp, by his estimation. With Harrison now at second base, the Tigers are likely to give Goodrum a chance to use many of those gloves.

“I know we want to give him a lot of at-bats,” general manager Al Avila said Saturday, “and we feel we can give him a lot of at-bats playing first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield. He can even play center field, which would be a good opportunity in combination with JaCoby [Jones] out there. For Niko, I think it’s a great opportunity to do that. …

“Talking to [manager Ron Gardenhire] before making this move, we want to make sure we have enough at-bats for him. And Gardy feels that he’ll be able to give him plenty of at-bats, all the at-bats that we are projecting for him to play all the other positions.”

Goodrum, who hit a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Blue Jays, has a few mitts for first base, some infield gloves, and some outfield gloves. Some of them have been broken in with game use. Others will get worn in during Spring Training to be ready whenever they’re needed.

How players wear in a new glove to get ready for game use is a matter of personal style, and some methods are unique. Tigers coach Ramon Santiago remembers throwing his gloves in the microwave for 30 seconds to heat them up. Former Tigers utility man Don Kelly would put baseballs in his glove then tie the glove together to loosen up a pocket. Some players would simply hit their gloves with a bat to soften the leather.

Tigers not fazed by pitch clock

The Tigers have an interesting mix of veteran and young pitchers in camp, from Casey Mize in his first Spring Training as a pro to Jordan Zimmermann in his 11th big league camp. Few issues exhibit this mix more than Major League Baseball’s pitch-clock trial this Spring Training.

“Some of these pitchers have seen it in the Minor Leagues,” Gardenhire said. “But for these veteran Major League guys who haven’t had to deal with that, it’s going to be trial and error. Honestly, they’re just going to get data, is the way they explained it to me, to see how many guys go past the 20 seconds.”

The pitch clock has been in effect in the Minor Leagues for the last couple of years, giving prospects a chance to adjust. Zac Reininger said he saw enough of it on his way up the Tigers' farm system that it won’t affect him.

“I’ve always been [quick],” Reininger said. “I like to make hitters uncomfortable. They’re getting ready, they look up and you’re already ready.”

On the flip side, Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays was the first exposure for Matt Moore, a seven-year Major League veteran who hasn’t pitched in the Minors since 2015. He pitched two scoreless innings with the pitch clock going in Saturday’s win, but he said the only time he noticed the clock was when he was in the dugout.

“Most likely, I won’t be the guy that it affects,” Moore said. “I think typically the slower my tempo gets, the worse I get.”

The 20-second clock will operate without enforcement in early games before umpires begin issuing reminders to pitchers and hitters next week. Later in Spring Training, umpires could be instructed to begin assessing ball-strike penalties for violations, depending on MLB’s negotiations with the MLB Players Association.

Gardy’s quote of the day

“He’s an option everywhere on the field. I tried to get him to catch, and we did that a couple of times between innings. And we shelved that, because it wasn’t very pretty. But he’s an option pretty much anywhere else on the field.” -- Gardenhire, on Goodrum’s versatility

Up next

Miguel Cabrera returns to game action for the first time in eight months as the Tigers open the home portion of their Grapefruit League schedule with a 1:05 p.m. ET game Sunday against the Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium. Cabrera, who underwent season-ending biceps surgery last June, is scheduled to be in the starting lineup. Nicholas Castellanos also will make his first start of the spring. Tyson Ross gets the start on the mound in his Tigers' debut.