ST. LOUIS — Andy Ibáñez handed his phone to Miguel Cabrera.
Cabrera picked up where Ibáñez, who used to play for the Texas Rangers, left off in a FaceTime conversation with Rangers slugger Adolis García, while Ibáñez turned his attention to a couple reporters eager to talk about the outfield.
Ibáñez, generally an infielder, started in right field for the Detroit Tigers in Friday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, marking his first appearance in right field as a pro. In seven games this season, the 30-year-old has started at five different positions: first base, third base, second base, left field and right field.
“It’s something mental,” Ibáñez said of shifting from the infield to the outfield, with Tigers bilingual media coordinator Carlos Guillen interpreting. “I’m going to work out on that during batting practice, being in right field. But I’m positive, and I know things are going to be right.”
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Cabrera hung up with García, and when that happened, he overheard the conversation about outfield defense. Moments later, Cabrera pulled up his highlight reel as a right fielder with the Florida Marlins.
He had the highlights saved, and easily accessible, on his phone. (The Free Press could not immediately find the highlights on the internet.)
“If Miggy can play right field, anybody can play right field,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera, who has recovered from an illness and started Friday, made all kinds of noises, including a lot of laughter, while proudly showing two plays: A leaping catch to rob a home run and a diving catch down the line. His experience in right field throughout his career is exclusive to 100 games (856 innings) at age 21 in 2004.
It was his first All-Star season.
Ibáñez started laughing.
“He’s a guy who has been giving me a lot of confidence,” Ibáñez said of Cabrera. “He gives me a lot of motivation. Being around this guy, who has done so many things in baseball, gives me a lot of trust, and I’m proud of the way he treats everybody as a close friend.”
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Ibáñez, who joined the Tigers on April 29 from Triple-A Toledo, went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts in his first four games. Since then, he was 4-for-9 (.571) without a strikeout in two games ahead of Friday’s contest.
He needed a few games to settle in. Then, he started attacking pitches inside the strike zone.
“At the beginning, I was excited and wanted to perform,” Ibáñez said. “All of a sudden, I just kind of relaxed myself. I talked to my family, and they gave me some support, and right after that, I just wanted to have fun. Doing that removed all the pressure off me.”
Medical update
Outfielder Kerry Carpenter (right shoulder sprain) is scheduled to begin a hitting progression this weekend. He has been on the 10-day injured list since April 29 (retroactive to April 28) after colliding with the right-field wall while robbing a home run at Comerica Park.
Right-hander Beau Brieske (right ulnar nerve entrapment) will be re-evaluated early next week to determine if he can resume a throwing progression. He has been rehabbing in Lakeland, Florida, at the spring training complex.
Righty Trey Wingenter (right biceps tendinitis), who landed on the 15-day injured list April 22 (retroactive to April 19) received a cortisone injection this week to treat inflammation. He will be evaluated at the end of next week.
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Right-hander Freddy Pacheco (right elbow strain) completed his first bullpen session Friday and will throw another bullpen next week, while left-hander Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain) is scheduled to throw his second bullpen Saturday.
Both pitchers are on the 60-day injured list.
Sunday’s starter
The Tigers need a starting pitcher for Sunday’s series finale against the Cardinals.
“I think we have a pretty good plan,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Most likely, it’s going to be somebody external. We’ll discuss it more in the next day or so, but I guess if we have a complete game today and a complete game tomorrow, that could change our mind, so I’m careful not to make too many promises.”
Hinch didn’t mention any possible names, but right-hander Alex Faedo could be an option. The 2017 No. 18 overall pick has a 2.50 ERA with four walks and 19 strikeouts across 18 innings in five starts for Triple-A Toledo.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.