DETROIT -- The Tigers had a tough time saying goodbye to Leonys Martin as a teammate when he was traded to the Indians two weeks ago. But that was nothing compared to the sadness of following his health scare from afar.
The Tigers have been kept abreast of Martin's battle with a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection since he was hospitalized at Cleveland Clinic last week. With Martin's health slowly improving, the gravity of his illness became public on Monday, and that night, the Tigers expressed the emotions they've been privately experiencing.
"Really, it shook up some people," catcher James McCann said. "Knowing what he's going through and what he meant to us, the type of person that he was, the type of teammate that he was, it just goes to show what kind of impact he did have here."
While Martin was a catalyst atop the Tigers lineup for much of the season before his trade, his personality permeated the day-to-day grind of a rough season. His constant chatter in the dugout was a source of energy that kept players in the game, and his clubhouse banter made him a popular teammate.
No one heard more of that talking than Nicholas Castellanos. Not only did they play alongside each other in the outfield, their lockers were next to each other in the clubhouse. For Castellanos, the news of Martin's illness was "extremely shocking," especially given how suddenly it hit.
"He hit a home run [on] back-to-back days, and it was like three days later, he's laid up," Castellanos said. "I guess that should just be a reminder to everybody to just enjoy today, man, because you're really not promised forever."

The news is more positive now, but Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti cautioned Monday that Martin's recovery will be measured in weeks rather than days. Still, it's a better situation than what the Tigers had heard before.
"We knew what was going on, and we knew how serious this whole thing was," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "To get the good news is fantastic, because we had heard this could be not good at all. It was really bad, and he was really sick. The doctors there obviously did a really nice job.
"We're just hearing it from other people. He's moving around now, and he's got the tubes out and all that stuff. A lot of thoughts and prayers in this clubhouse, I can tell you that. He means a lot to us, and I'm sure with Cleveland also. This is good news for all of us."
"It really puts life in perspective," McCann said. "It makes the struggles that you're having on the field -- whatever it may be -- it really puts it in perspective."
Alcantara becoming controlled arm
Watch Tigers reliever Victor Alcantara work in late-game situations, and it's hard to believe the same right-hander struggled so badly with walks and hits last year. When he struck out the middle of the White Sox lineup in order in the ninth inning of Monday's 9-5 win, he stretched his streak of stinginess to 14 2/3 innings of one-run ball this year on 11 hits with eight strikeouts and -- most importantly -- just two walks.
It's enough for the 25-year-old to work his way into the circle of relievers Gardenhire trusts in late innings.
"The fear has been [him] not throwing it over [the strike zone]," Gardenhire said. "He's a little herky-jerky and got the wild windup and delivery, but he's kind of mastered it. He has a great changeup, his fastball sinks and moves, with a nice little breaking ball. But the thing that we worried about: Would he throw the ball over the plate? He's throwing it over, and you also see him facing pretty good hitters."
The difference, Alcantara said, has been focus. He has not changed his mechanics at all. The message from coaches last offseason to work on his command and consistency made him work on improving every pitch.
"I focused on command, every pitch I threw," he said through a translator. "And more confidence to throw any pitch in any situation."
Quick hits
• Michael Fulmer began a Minor League rehab assignment Tuesday night in his start for Class A Advanced Lakeland, facing Daytona. He pitched two perfect innings, striking out four. It was his first game action since going on the 10-day DL on July 20 with a left oblique strain.

• The Tigers' Double-A affiliate in Erie, Pa., the SeaWolves, announced on Monday that it had received a $12 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania for improvements to UPMC Park. Tigers general manager Al Avila noted the need for improvements to the field and facilities during a visit to Erie in June. The Tigers' player development agreement with the SeaWolves ends after this season but is expected to be extended soon.