Miggy glad to give Hosmer extra All-Star at-bat

DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera remembers the thrill of his first All-Star Game. He has never had the thrill of a game like Eric Hosmer enjoyed Tuesday. So when it came time for Cabrera to enter the game, he wanted to see Hosmer -- who had a home run and an RBI single -- get his chance to cap off his performance with another hit.
Cabrera confirmed what Hosmer and Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters: He went to Yost and said Hosmer deserved a third at-bat.
"I figured he had a chance," Cabrera said Friday. "I've been in 11 All-Star Games, and I never had the chance to be MVP. So to see a guy go to his first All-Star Game and he's starting and he did what he did, it's very special, a very special moment."

It's not that uncommon, apparently. Yost told reporters Friday that David Ortiz wanted Edwin Encarnación to get multiple at-bats, while Robinson Canó asked Yost to get former teammate Eduardo Núñez into the game. Still, it was appreciated.
"It meant a lot. It really did," Hosmer said Friday. "A guy like that, we all know he's the best player in the game, and for him to say that to Ned meant a lot. I told him, 'No, fans want to see you.' But he had his mind made up.
"I thanked him seven or eight times after the game, telling him he didn't have to do that."
Cabrera said he didn't need the gratitude.
"He said thank you," Cabrera said, "but he deserved that, you know."
Cabrera said he knows Hosmer more through friends on the Royals than he does personally, but has a lot of respect.
"We play a lot against each other, and I've heard a lot of good things about him," Cabrera said. "I've got a lot of friends playing with him on the same team, so I've heard a lot of good things. He's a great guy."
Quick hits
• The Tigers did not make any last-minute deals before Friday's deadline to sign Draft picks. Detroit signed 31 of its 40 selections this year, including its first 25 picks. The highest-drafted player not to sign was 28th-rounder Alex Cunningham, who helped lead Coastal Carolina to the College World Series title last month. He'll return to school, as will a handful of highly touted high-schoolers selected who were expected to head to college.
• The Tigers officially promoted former Major League outfielder Alex Presley to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, replacing recently demoted Anthony Gose. Presley signed a Minor League deal last week, but he played two games at Class A Advanced Lakeland while the Mud Hens were on their All-Star break. Presley, who turns 31 later this month, went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple on Thursday.