LAKELAND, Fla. — For the past 13 years, Miguel Cabrera has hit in the top half of the Detroit Tigers' lineup.
Not anymore.
Cabrera has hit No. 5 for three consecutive spring training games. The presence of shortstop Javier Baez has pushed him down in the batting order.
"I talked to him a while back about putting our lineup together, and that he could hit fifth or sixth, depending on the situation," Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. "He's all in on whatever we need to do to win the games. When you add players, specifically Baez, to the middle of the order, somebody's going to move.