LAKELAND, Fla. -- Gordon Beckham was an early arrival at Joker Marchant Stadium on Saturday morning after starting at shortstop for the Tigers on Friday night. He had good news waiting for him.

The Tigers informed Beckham that he has made their Opening Day roster. Since Beckham was a non-roster invitee to camp with enough Major League service time, the Tigers had to add him to the roster by Saturday or allow him to opt out of his deal and become a free agent. They could’ve also offered him a $100,000 retention bonus to accept a Minor League assignment.

Ronny Rodriguez, Beckham's remaining competitor for a utility infield role, was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. To create space for Beckham on the 40-man roster, the Tigers placed Michael Fulmer on the 60-day injured list; he’s scheduled to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery next week.

When Beckham is introduced next Thursday at Rogers Centre in Toronto, it'll mark his first Opening Day in the Majors since 2016, when he made the Braves' roster as a utility infielder. He spent the last two seasons bouncing between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma, then came to Tigers camp on a Minor League deal, talking about giving it one last shot in the Majors.

“It means a lot to me,” Beckham said, “looking back and having to grind it out in Triple-A a little bit the last two years. It makes it worth it. Glad I did it.”

To get the news Saturday morning, he said, was something he appreciated more than his first callup to the Majors in 2009, a year after he was a first-round Draft pick of the White Sox.

“When I was first called up, I didn't even know what was going on,” Beckham said. “You get to the big leagues and you get there quick, and you don’t even realize what you're doing. But now I understand. It kind of comes full circle. It's just more the work to get there. It wasn't fun going through it, but I'm glad I stuck it out.”

Though Beckham came to camp competing for an open spot at second base, he pivoted quickly when Detroit signed Josh Harrison a month ago. Once games started, Beckham kept playing, and playing, and playing, including three starts at shortstop this week.

“You want people in those roles that you don't have to worry about,” manager Ron Gardenhire said Friday night before making the decision official. “They know how to play. I don't have to go looking for them, saying you have to be ready here. He's every bit of that.”

The 32-year-old Beckham came into Saturday batting .279 (12-for-43) with four doubles, a home run, five RBIs, nine walks and 12 strikeouts, displaying the swing he revamped with help from his father-in-law, Tigers instructor and former Major League infielder Scott Fletcher.

Wilson released
Beckham wasn't the only Tigers camp invitee who had to be told his fate by Saturday. Catcher Bobby Wilson had a similar opt-out, and was informed he will not make the club. He was granted his release, according to a source, and his locker has been cleared from the Tigers' clubhouse.

The Tigers could still try to re-sign Wilson to a Minor League contract to provide catching depth, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old is expected to gauge the market. He played 47 games for the Twins last year.

Wilson's release gives Cameron Rupp a chance to make the Opening Day roster as a third catcher, but Rupp said he has not been told anything yet. Though Rupp is a non-roster invitee, he does not have enough service time to qualify for a Saturday opt-out.

Cisnero reassigned
Jose Cisnero was one of the revelations of Tigertown, a hard-throwing reliever who hadn’t pitched in organized Minor League baseball since 2015 due to Tommy John surgery and other injuries, but overpowered hitters for most of the spring. His comeback attempt will continue in the farm system, likely at Triple-A Toledo, after the Tigers reassigned the non-roster invitee to Minor League camp Saturday.

The Tigers signed Cisnero to a Minor League deal last November on the recommendation of Tigers organizational pitching coach Willie Blair and special assistant Mike Russell. Cisnero, who turns 30 next month, dominated batters in Grapefruit League play, allowing two runs on five hits over 9 2/3 innings with two walks and 12 strikeouts.

More impressive than the numbers were the pitches behind them. Cisnero’s fastball proved too much for his opponents, topping out at 99 mph earlier this week. It hit 98 mph and consistently hit 97 on Saturday during two perfect innings -- including four strikeouts -- over 27 pitches.

“All of a sudden we’ve got this big arm, and we were getting him into games,” Gardenhire said. “We just wanted to see if it was a freak or if he can do this on a consistent basis. And I think every time he came in, he was just blowing it in there. He put himself right in the situation we were hoping for. He did what you’re supposed to do when you come in these situations.”

What's left
With Beckham helping fill out the bench, the focus now turns to the Tigers' pitching staff. With Fulmer out and Drew VerHagen set to start the season on the injured list with a forearm strain, Spencer Turnbull and Daniel Norris seem likely to make the roster. If Norris doesn't make the rotation, he could still end up in relief, though the Tigers would have to either not carry Rule 5 pick Reed Garrett or drop Buck Farmer or Victor Alcántara to do so.

Up next
The Tigers close out their Grapefruit League schedule on Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Blue Jays at Joker Marchant Stadium. Daniel Norris is slated to start.