PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- There are decisions to be made regarding the Tigers' bullpen before breaking camp. There's also no question that Reed Garrett can bring the heat. Now he must show manager Ron Gardenhire that his breaking stuff is Major League quality.

A Rule 5 Draft pick whom the Tigers are debating whether to carry in their bullpen, Garrett made a second consecutive successful spring appearance on Tuesday.

Facing the Mets, the right-hander was greeted with a line-drive single off the bat of Michael Conforto, but then retired the next three in order.

"The ball is coming out of his hand good," Gardenhire said. "We like him because he can throw it 98 [mph]. But he's got to spin it, too. That's what we need to see from him this spring, and he knows it."

Garrett struck out one in a scoreless inning on Saturday in his debut.

He appeared in a career-high 51 games last season with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Toledo, and made both the Texas League Midseason and Postseason All-Star teams.

"We know he's got velo," Gardenhire said. "We know he throws it near 100 mph when he's on his game. But you still have to spin it in this league. You can't just power through it. He did that a few times today, which we really like."

NRI long ball

A pair of non-roster invitees lit up the scoreboard for the Tigers on Tuesday, each delivering three-run homers in a 14-4 win over the Mets.

Right-fielder Harold Castro (2-for-5) went yard in the seventh inning, a high drive that carried over the right-field fence. An inning later, second baseman Pete Kozma (1-for-2) duplicated the feat, clubbing a three-run blast, this time over the left-field fence.

"Castro is really hitting the ball hard," Gardenhire said. "He played in winter ball, too. Those guys always have a little bit of an advantage because they played winter ball. He did well down there. He can hit. We brought him back for the last two weeks [of last season], and he hit right away."

Willi Castro hustle

This Tigers shortstop and No. 7 prospect has a motor that goes into overdrive with every plate appearance. He'll hustle out every ground ball, and on Tuesday he used that hustle and instinct to score from first base without the ball ever being put in play.

After delivering a two-out single (1-for-3) in the second inning, moving Gordon Beckham (2-for-3, two RBIs) to third, Castro stole second. But he wasn't finished yet, because instead of throwing to second, Mets catcher Wilson Ramos threw to third with Beckham coming down the line.

But that throw hit Beckham in the helmet and trickled into left field. Castro never stopped, rounding third and sliding safely home.

"He can run," Gardenhire said. "We've got a few guys that can do those things. We talked about it, we have to be an aggressive team. You take advantage of those things, we've got speed to do it."

Cabrera continues to work his way back

Miguel Cabrera is trying to get his legs back under him after missing most of last season recovering from a biceps tear. The Tigers' first baseman saw DH duties on Monday in Jupiter. He had a hit and drove in a run. But he isn't 100 percent yet when he's in the field.

"He said he felt a little out of whack, but we'll keep putting him out there more and more," Gardenhire said.

The 16-year veteran played in a career-low 38 games in 2018. A two-time American League MVP and perennial All-Star, Cabrera will continue to get back into the flow with a start at first base on Wednesday.

Up next

The Tigers host the Yankees in Lakeland at 1:05 p.m. ET Wednesday. Right-hander Michael Fulmer makes his first start this spring for Detroit. The 25-year-old has made 75 career starts over three seasons with the Tigers and looks to rebound from a 3-12 season last year when he posted a 4.69 ERA.