ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Dustin Peterson was sitting in the food room off the clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium on Monday morning, having breakfast with Nicholas Castellanos, getting ready for a spot start in center field to close out Spring Training, when Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire gave him the news.
"He came up and hit me on the shoulder and said, 'Hey, you know you're coming up north with us, right?'" Peterson said. "I just kind of sat there like, 'Let's goooo.'"
As Peterson stood in center field during the game against Detroit prospects, his thoughts were simple.
"Just don't do anything stupid," he said with a laugh.
Though Peterson made his Major League debut in a brief stint with the Braves last May, making an Opening Day roster means more. It's the culmination of a Spring Training's worth of work and a competition against teammates for a roster spot. Though the roster to open a season is never the same one that ends it, and rarely stays the same even through a month, it means a lot to players.
Peterson thought he had missed his chance, having been optioned to Triple-A Toledo on March 18. When JaCoby Jones sprained his left shoulder on a diving play, however, Peterson walked over from the Minor League clubhouse and rejoined the mix. Since Peterson had been optioned to Toledo, the Tigers had to recall him from the Minor Leagues on Tuesday to make his inclusion official. The move was announced after Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to the Rays.
"Obviously a game-changer being over here [in the Major League clubhouse rather] than over there," Peterson said. "I feel like I know where I can play. I feel like I can compete at the highest level and help this team. This spring, I've just been trying to give them all I've got and show them that."
It worked. Peterson made it through Monday's game without incident, and then went back to the clubhouse to pack his gear for the trek to Tropicana Field for Tuesday's exhibition against the Rays. And that's when it hit him.
"Everyone kind of left and I was packing my bag and it really hit me," Peterson said, "and then I started to get a little emotional. Then it really hit me when I was leaving the locker room.
"I made the team. I'm going up north with the club. I called my dad and my family, my brother. They were pretty emotional as well. They were excited. It's something you always dream of."
Roster moves
With no injuries suffered Tuesday, Detroit made its Opening Day roster moves official. In addition to Peterson’s recall, reliever Drew VerHagen and outfielder JaCoby Jones were placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday. They’ll be eligible to return a week into the season, though Jones is expected to miss more time than that.
In addition, catcher Cameron Rupp was reassigned to Minor League camp. He’ll report to Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers have a glut of veteran catchers in the system; Bobby Wilson returned on a Minor League contract a couple of days ago, in addition to Hector Sanchez and Kade Scivicque.
Moore advises Fulmer on surgery
Matt Moore has been where Michael Fulmer is now, staring at a year or more of rehab to undergo Tommy John surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. That's why Fulmer sought advice from the left-hander when he received the diagnosis last week.
Moore's tip was more mental than physical.
"He should try to remain competitive in whatever he's doing," Moore said. "If he's playing a game of cards or playing video games or fishing or whatever you're doing, try to keep a competitive edge about you. Not being in competition for 14-15 months, then all of a sudden being on a mound with sweat running down your back, it's a long time in that regard. But I think if you can kind of keep that edge about you, I think that's something we talked about in general, trying to encourage him about the road he's about to go down."
Moore made his final Spring Training tuneup Tuesday, allowing four runs (three earned) over three innings on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Thirty-seven of his 70 pitches came in the first inning, including back-to-back doubles from Kevin Kiermaier and former Tiger Avisail Garcia on 10- and nine-pitch at-bats, respectively.
"You want to throw a pitch the best you've got, and then it kind of spins a little bit more than you want," Moore said. "I kind of overcooked a few pitches today."
Quick hit
John Hicks was back in Detroit's lineup at catcher Tuesday, a day after seeing a dentist to fix a chipped tooth he suffered Sunday when a warmup pitch bounced in the dirt and hit him on the side of his face. The chip was minor, he said, and the tooth is near the back.
"I turned [my head] and tried to hit it with my glove, and it just squared the cheek," Hicks said. "I can laugh at it now, but before I was not laughing."
Up next
The Tigers will work out at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday morning before opening the regular season Thursday with a 3:37 p.m. ET game against the Blue Jays. Jordan Zimmermann will make his second consecutive Opening Day start, this one opposite Marcus Stroman. Tune in on Fox Sports Detroit and MLB.TV.