Tigers general manager Al Avila was running down his list of long-term options at shortstop Friday afternoon when he got to just-promoted infielder Isaac Paredes.
“I knew it was coming,” Avila said with a smile. “It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.”
Two games in, it doesn’t look entirely crazy, but it doesn’t make the Tigers’ future at short any more certain. His first two starts there have seen mixed results, from a deft play on a hard-hit bouncer Friday to an early error Saturday as part of a three-run first inning in a 15-2 loss to the White Sox at Comerica Park.
The look at Paredes at his original position as a pro has been one of the few things the Tigers have gained from this series, which included a disastrous outing Saturday that saw starter José Ureña, Daniel Norris, Beau Burrows and Alex Lange combine for just six innings.
The Tigers called up Paredes on Tuesday to help fill in at third base while Jeimer Candelario was away on the bereavement list. But with Harold Castro returning from a hand injury and the Tigers looking for offense, manager A.J. Hinch — whose willingness to try Paredes around the infield was a recurring theme of Spring Training — got creative.
“We want to continue to give him a look,” Hinch said. “The fact that he had played [shortstop] in Triple-A, and the favorable reviews that came from it, made me feel pretty comfortable with it.”