PITTSBURGH -- Less than a week after stating that Miguel Cabrera's days playing first base were likely over for this season, Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire wrote the two-time American League MVP Award winner’s name with a “3” beside it on the lineup card for Tuesday night’s series opener at PNC Park.

Gardenhire told MLB Network in an interview on Wednesday that “we can’t just let [Cabrera] go out there and hurt himself,” with the longtime slugger dealing with “chronic changes" to his right knee. But with Cabrera coming off back-to-back off-days and with Detroit visiting the Pirates for a two-game Interleague set, Gardenhire feels this is as good a time as any to gauge what Cabrera can do in the field.

“He wants to play,” Gardenhire said. “He doesn’t want to come up here and sit two ballgames out or pinch-hit. We figured he had the day off Sunday and then Monday, so this is the perfect time to have a couple days to recoup, not do too much, then put him in there at first base for today and then see how he feels tomorrow.”

Cabrera, who is batting .298/.359/.396 this season after going 2-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's 5-4 win, had not previously played first base since he left a game on May 31 against the Braves with what the team called right knee soreness. If all goes well on Tuesday, Gardenhire’s expectation is that Cabrera will sit the finale on Wednesday, which will give him another string of consecutive off-days before the Tigers head to Cleveland on Friday -- an AL set that will see Cabrera as the designated hitter.

The Tigers are also reassured by the progress Cabrera has made with a knee brace he’s using to stabilize the joint. He’s taken grounders with it, and Gardenhire said it’s helped Cabrera feel “real comfortable.”

“We’re just trying to map it out to where we don’t kill him out there,” Gardenhire said, “and this will be the first time using the brace out in the field other than just taking ground balls like he’s done. So this will be good. We’re excited about it.”

Zimmermann expected to face Bucs

Jordan Zimmermann is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday to start against the Pirates, Gardenhire said.

Zimmermann has been on the IL since April 26 with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow. He made two rehab outings this month, allowing six runs across 7 1/3 innings for Class A Advanced Lakeland and Triple-A Toledo, but he felt significantly better from the first start to the second.

“The bottom line is he feels good, and he did a rehab,” Gardenhire said. “The ball, he felt, was coming out really good. After the first one, it didn’t, but the second time, he felt better. He felt really good, and that’s all we’re looking for.”

Gardenhire said Zimmermann is “supposed to be able to go 70 pitches.” The right-hander owns a 5.93 ERA across six starts.

Worth noting

• According to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, the Tigers agreed to terms with Cooper Johnson, who the club selected in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. The Ole Miss backstop received a full-slot signing bonus of $291,400.

The club also agreed to terms with shortstop Andrew Navigato (20th round), center fielder Elliott Cary (29th round) and third baseman Cordell Dunn Jr. (30th round). The Tigers have now signed 25 selections from their 2019 Draft class.