Lakeland, Fla. — He was given a window of opportunity and he leapt through it.
Barring some unforeseen mishap, Tyler Collins is going to break camp with the Tigers as the fourth outfielder. That became clear Tuesday when the Tigers sent Wynton Bernard to Triple-A Toledo.
“I am going to fall short of saying he’s on the roster,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “But he’s in the driver’s seat.”
The opportunity came when Cameron Maybin suffered a fractured wrist in his first spring at-bat. Collins responded first by showing he could be more than a serviceable back-up to Anthony Gose in centerfield, and second by doing what he does best – providing some punch from the left side of the plate.