LAKELAND, Fla. -- Victor Martinez decided to have a little fun while the Tigers took batting practice Thursday morning at Joker Marchant Stadium. After taking a couple of ground balls at first base, the 39-year-old jogged over to shortstop, where he alternated grounders with Jose Iglesias and showed off some glovework from his younger days, and maybe a few steps of range.
Once Martinez stepped to the plate for his first at-bat against Braves starter Sean Newcomb, the designated hitter took an easy trip around the bases. His right-handed drive off the lefty cleared the left-field fence, giving the Tigers back-to-back second-inning homers following Nicholas Castellanos' drive.