Detroit Tigers shortstop Willi Castro battling slump; Miguel Cabrera in 'great spirits'

Detroit Tigers shortstop Willi Castro — an American League Rookie of the Year candidate last season — wasn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game, even though his team is chasing a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

That's because the 23-year-old is going through a slump: 1-for-17 (.059) in the last four games, with one single, one walk and five strikeouts. Meanwhile, the rest of the Tigers have turned up the heat on the talented Astros with 14 runs on 23 hits and eight walks in back-to-back wins.

[ Houston Astros put 5 players on IL for COVID protocols; Tigers not concerned ]

"I think he's been a little bit caught in between the last couple series of hitting the fastball, also some secondary pitches," manager AJ Hinch said Wednesday. "He'll have some at-bats where he's patient; he'll also have some at-bats where he tries to hunt pitches. He hasn't found a lot of success."

ALWAYS LEARNING: Why Akil Baddoo rebounding from 'embarrassing' play bodes well for future

MAN ON MISSON: How one tweak from pitching coach helped Casey Mize dominate

Castro was initially scheduled to get a day off at some point in the 10-game road trip. Hinch figured Wednesday made the most sense because of Castro's recent frustration at the plate.

His batting average has dropped to .196 this season, with two walks and 12 strikeouts, ahead of a tough four-game slate against the Oakland Athletics before returning to Comerica Park in Detroit.

"He'll be back in there tomorrow if we don't need him tonight," Hinch said. "But a good mental day for him to take a deep breath and start fresh in Oakland."

Castro hit .349 last season with six homers and 24 RBIs through 36 games. He tied for fourth place in AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2019, his debut campaign, he hit .230 with one homer and eight RBIs in 30 games.

Despite the struggles to start 2021, Hinch won't consider moving Castro down in the batting order. He has penciled Castro in the top three spots in the lineup for all 11 games this year: once as the No. 1 hitter, six times as the No. 2 hitter and four times as the No. 3 hitter.

"Willi's one of our good hitters," Hinch said. "It's a super small sample size of him. It's not a pressure thing. It's just execution. And it's a tough league. Sometimes you get in these ruts where you don't find hits and need a break."

Miggy in 'great spirits'

Working back from a mild left biceps strain, Hinch said designated hitter/first baseman Miguel Cabrera was in "great spirits" and "joking around quite a bit" in the clubhouse Wednesday, a good sign that he's making progress toward his return to the lineup.

ADD SOME POP: As Tigers 'need threats' on offense, slugger Renato Nunez could be solution

AND MORE POP: Catcher Wilson Ramos leads MLB in home runs: 'Dream come true'

Cabrera, who turns 38 on Sunday, is doing indoor strength and conditioning treatment in Houston with the team's trainers. He was put on the 10-day injured list April 11.

"We're hoping to get him a little bit more field activity, whether that's ground balls, the swing progression that we're going to put him through," Hinch said. "We may or may not be able to do that in Oakland. But the next series we'll have a little more ramped up activity for him."

Hinch said Cabrera has "responded very well" to his treatment.

Through seven games, the Cabrera is 3-for-24 (.125) with one double, one home run, three RBIs, three strikeouts and four walks.

Remember Rony?

Before there was Akil Baddoo, the Tigers selected right-hander Rony Garcia in the 2019 Rule 5 draft from the New York Yankees. He maintained his status on the active roster last season, albeit with an 8.14 ERA, and got to stick with the organization.

Garcia has been on the 10-day injured list since March 29 with an abdominal strain. He didn't compete in spring training games because he was recovering from an appendectomy.

"He's starting his progression into innings," Hinch said. "I saw a roadmap today for him to get pitching in the (minor-league) spring training down in Lakeland, get a couple of outings, maybe transfer over to the alternate (training) site before the start of the Triple-A season.

"He's in that progression build up like a normal pitcher would be in spring training. I believe he's thrown one in Lakeland. If not, then it's coming in the coming days."

Five Astros out

Less than three hours before Wednesday's game started, the Astros put five players on the injured list: designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, third baseman Alex Bregman, second baseman Jose Altuve, catcher Martin Maldonado and infielder Robel Garcia.

They were removed from the team for the time being because of health and safety protocols, Astros general manager James Click said. This means they were placed on the COVID-related injured list. All five players, manager Dusty Baker said, received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Altuve was removed in the ninth inning Tuesday for a pitch-hitter — Maldonado took his place in the lineup — because the team discovered there was an issue with health and safety protocols. Then, another concern regarding those protocols came up after the game.

Infielders Abraham Toro, Alex De Goti and Taylor Jones, catcher Garrett Stubbs and outfielder Ronnie Dawson were called up for Wednesday's contest.

"There's been no talk of postponing the game," Hinch said, a few minutes before Houston's roster moves were announced. "The Astros have communicated to us the situation that they're in, some of the decisions that they're making. But that's their news to report. We're ready to play."

Hinch said there aren't any COVID-related issues within the Tigers' clubhouse.

Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Willi Castro slumping; Miguel Cabrera update