Jackson progressing, cleared for physical activity

DETROIT -- Austin Jackson said Thursday night he has been cleared for physical activity, which he just began as he tries to rehab his way back from a pulled left groin.

It was limited activity -- nothing baseball related -- but he got through it without any pain. He'll repeat that step this weekend before he hopes to progress to some limited baseball activity.

Jackson would like to do some low-intensity baseball work earlier, such as throwing. However, he doesn't have a timetable yet for a return to the active roster.

The Tigers have been getting by at Jackson's leadoff spot just fine in his absence thanks to a combination of Andy Dirks and Omar Infante. Dirks was 13-for-41 with two doubles and two home runs from the top spot before his first-inning single Friday night. Infante's three-hit game Thursday improved him to 6-for-14 in three games from the leadoff spot.