Tigers' Ausmus might let Romine play all 9 positions in 1 game
The Detroit Tigers are playing out the string of a lost season, so why not close out 2017 with a little fun?
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus certainly seems to think the time is right. During a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket's "Jamie and Stoney Show" on Thursday morning, Ausmus revealed he might let super-utility man Andrew Romine play all nine positions in one game during their final homestand of the season.
"I've discussed it. We haven't really nailed it down," Ausmus said, according to CBS Detroit's Will Burchfield.
Ausmus noted that he'll only let Romine do this in games against a fellow non-contending club. Since Detroit will face the Minnesota Twins - who hold the second AL wild-card spot - in its final four home games, that would indicate Romine's potential multi-positional odyssey would occur either this weekend against the Chicago White Sox, or during the three-game set versus the Oakland Athletics from Sept. 18-20.
Romine is starting Thursday afternoon's series opener against the White Sox at second base, though it doesn't sound like this will be the day it happens.
"You actually have to pre-plan that, how you would move people around on basically an inning-by-inning basis so you don't run out of players and you still have people playing the positions they're supposed to be playing," Ausmus explained.
"I haven't really thought it out or looked into it real deep."
Romine would be well-suited to the challenge of playing every position during a single game. The 31-year-old has more than lived up to his role as the Tigers' super-utility man during his 113 games this season - he's already suited up at every position save for catcher at least once.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| P | 1 |
| C | 0 |
| 1B | 21 |
| 2B | 22 |
| 3B | 21 |
| SS | 9 |
| LF | 14 |
| CF | 22 |
| RF | 10 |
Romine has taken the mound three times in his career; this season, he didn't allow a run over his two-thirds of an inning. He's never played catcher professionally at any level - though if he needs any tips on playing the position he can always call up younger brother Austin, the New York Yankees' backup backstop.
If he ends up doing this, Romine would become only the fifth player in major-league history - and the second Tiger - to play every position in the same game. Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City Athletics was the first in 1965; he was followed by Minnesota's Cesar Tovar three years later. The Rangers' Scott Sheldon and the Tigers' Shane Halter played all nine within three weeks of each other near the end of the 2000 season.