Exercising caution, Tigers extend Infante's rehab

NEW YORK -- The Tigers appear set to give Omar Infante a few more days on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo to make sure his previously sprained left ankle can hold up for the stretch run.

Infante played second base for the Mud Hens on Thursday without trouble despite a slide into him at the bag, according to manager Jim Leyland.

"I think he'll probably play the weekend," Leyland said on Friday. "I would say possibly, if everything goes right, [we'll] shoot for possibly Monday. But don't hold me to that."

Infante entered Friday night's game for the Mud Hens having gone 2-for-8 with a pair of singles. He began his rehab assignment on Tuesday with a game at designated hitter but was scratched from Wednesday's game with lingering soreness in the ankle. That's the reason for the Tigers' abundance of caution.

Fellow infielder Ramon Santiago said on Friday that his left leg feels "much better than yesterday," though he still wasn't in the lineup. Santiago felt soreness in a muscle behind his left knee running out a ball on Thursday, and it tightened on him to the point that he had to exit the game.

"I was scared yesterday," Santiago said.