Injuries worrying Leyland, plenty of work remains

03/07/2008 3:25 PM ET
Notes: Injuries worrying Leyland
Skipper says plenty of work remains before Opening Day
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Just past the midway point of Spring Training, Tigers manager Jim Leyland is a little antsy.

It's not necessarily an alarm bell. Detroit's offense is putting up runs in big numbers, and while his bullpen has had its struggles, it has also seen non-roster relievers like Denny Bautista and Preston Larrison emerge as solid candidates to fill roles.

It's the injuries that had Leyland a little antsy Friday morning. They're not major injuries, but after watching setup man Fernando Rodney's previous minor injury keep him out of games so far this spring, little injuries can threaten to become big problems.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Leyland said Friday morning before the Tigers took on the Braves at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. "We're not anywhere close to where we need to be."

Leyland isn't worried about Gary Sheffield's slow start at the plate so much as he's worried about getting Sheffield at-bats at the plate. Sheffield, who had Friday's game off as planned, isn't expected to make Saturday's trip to face the Blue Jays because of leg cramps. It's uncertain whether the injury is related to the sore hamstring that limited Sheffield last week.

Sheffield worked out back at the Tigers' facility Friday morning and was in good spirits.

Miguel Cabrera is slated to make Saturday's trip, but Leyland said the slugging third baseman is dealing with a sore quadriceps. If Cabrera is able to play, Leyland would like him to play at third base.

"If he's all right, he needs to play," Leyland said. "He needs to play and get his timing down and everything else."

Shortstop Edgar Renteria had his own minor issues with a sore shoulder. Considering he was in the lineup and playing Friday, it wasn't serious.

The bullpen picture is starting to look a little better. Rodney threw another session of catch Friday morning as he tries to work his previously sore shoulder into game condition. Left-hander Clay Rapada, meanwhile, is feeling better as he inches closer to pitching in a game.

Still, the uncertainty with Rodney's injury has loomed large as Leyland tries to sort out who can fill the final role in the bullpen.

"I know less about our pitching than I did when I came into camp," Leyland said.

Actually, it's Aquilino: For all the talk about the bullpen, one name that hadn't come up until Friday is Aquilino Lopez. With his four outs in as many batters faced Thursday, the non-roster invitee has five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

"His name never comes up," Leyland said, "but I like him a lot."

Quotable: "I like the way he's swinging the bat. The ball's sounding good off his bat. I'm not worried about that." -- Leyland on Sheffield, currently 0-for-11 this spring

Up next: The Tigers visit the Blue Jays on Saturday for a 1:05 p.m. ET game at Knology Park in Dunedin, Fla. Jeremy Bonderman will make his third start of the spring opposite Shaun Marcum. Cabrera, Placido Polanco, Curtis Granderson and Jacque Jones are among those scheduled to make the trip.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.