DETROIT -- Nicholas Castellanos is headed toward the July 31 Trade Deadline enjoying his best stretch of the season. That’s partly a result of an adjustment at the plate -- he's declining to chase as many pitches out of the strike zone as he did early in the season.

It’s also partly an adjustment in Castellanos' head. He's declining to chase as many trade rumors as he might have in the past.

“I wouldn't be shocked if I don't get traded,” Castellanos said Thursday afternoon. “Because everybody thought I was going to get traded at the last Deadline. Everybody thought I was going to get traded this [past] offseason. There were some people saying that I was gonna go in Spring Training.”

As odd as that might sound coming from a pending free agent with next to no hope of a contract extension, it helps Castellanos keep his sanity. He’ll walk into the home clubhouse at Comerica Park on Friday for what could be his final homestand as a Tiger. Or, depending on who needs offense at the Trade Deadline, Castellanos could finish the season with Detroit. He’s done worrying about the different scenarios and is trying to stay in the present.

“At this point, I'm not looking forward to anything,” Castellanos said. “And I think that's the best place to be. Where before, I was trying to look forward to everything. That can create anxiety. Now, whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I'm either going to go to a new team and have to help them and do whatever I need to do to help them win, or I'm going to stay here and just continue to have fun with these guys and try to have the most fun and finish out the year. And then, whatever's going to happen after the season is going to happen after the season.”

What’s happening for Castellanos now, and what he’s focusing on, is a midseason resurgence. His Major League-leading 32nd double and 10th homer in Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to the Indians raised his July average to .321 (17-for-53) with six doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored and nine RBIs. Castellanos is batting .314 (44-for-140) with 14 doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs over his past 36 games, reaching base safely in 32 of them.

It’s a different swing than Castellanos had early in the season, but that’s a minor detail to him.

“I wouldn't even really say swing change,” he said. “It's just getting back to more of a place of peace. If you look at my swings, I'm just finding something that I liked and was consistent with and was enjoying, and not getting ticked off every time and this and that. Now I'm kind of just letting all that go. I don't know, baseball's been more fun and a little bit easier.”

Castellanos' hot stretch might come too late to spark the trade market. Though things can change before the Trade Deadline, indications suggest little interest in him, even with the Tigers not looking for a big return. Most contending teams have outfield depth, and while some teams could use the offensive boost, Castellanos’ slow start created caution.

Unlike the past couple of years, Castellanos hasn’t heard much from general manager Al Avila lately about the situation. When they’ve talked, it has been more to say hello and less about whether he’ll have to say goodbye.

“Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen,” Castellanos said. “And I guess as long as I have a uniform on and I'm able to go play, it's a good day. Just try to get back to the basics and understand that everything else is not necessarily in my control.”

Tigers will need innings in September
While manager Ron Gardenhire worries about the possibility of losing Matthew Boyd at the Trade Deadline and how to replace him in the rotation, he has another big issue looming for the stretch: Spencer Turnbull and Daniel Norris are inching closer to their limits for the season.

That explains, in part, the move to pull Turnbull at 86 pitches Wednesday after a leadoff double in the seventh, and Norris at 89 pitches with two outs in the sixth on Monday.

“We're worried about if they go seven or eight innings, how much longer are we going to have him as a starter?” Gardenhire said. “Me and [pitching coach Rick Anderson] are really cognizant of that, because where in the world are we going to go to?”

Turnbull pitched 135 2/3 innings last year between Detroit and the Minor Leagues. His six-plus innings Wednesday put him at 98 2/3 innings this year. Turnbull's limit is believed to be around 140-145 innings, which would likely give him seven or eight starts to go.

Norris pitched about 71 innings last year between his Tigers work, Minor League rehab assignment and winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He tossed 115 2/3 innings in 2017 between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo. Norris is at 96 1/3 innings now.

“There's a bigger watch than our eyes on him, believe me, on how many innings we're going to let these guys go,” Gardenhire said. “It was talked about last homestand, and we're going to talk about it in the next couple days, too, what they want us to do, how they want us to do it, and how they're going to fill a hole. I think we're a ways away from that right now, though.”