The final week before Opening Day is all about subtraction and health checks. For the Tigers, the ledger is finally balancing out in the outfield. Left fielder Willie Figueroa is officially off the injured list and back on the active roster. Getting him healthy and in the lineup is the baseline requirement for the start of the 2051 season. Meanwhile, right fielder Matt Gray is heading to Triple-A Toledo, clearing a spot and giving him time to iron things out in the minors.

The bullpen picture has its own wrinkles. Reliever Sergio Arellano was also optioned to Toledo, but he won’t be taking the mound there right away. The team placed him on the International League 7-day injured list, retroactive to March 20. When you are building a bullpen for a major league season, depth is not just a buzzword. It is the only thing keeping the late innings from turning into a track meet. Arellano’s absence means the Tigers will need to lean on the rest of their relief corps while he rehabilitates.

Down on the farm, the organization is already moving pieces to fortify that exact depth. First baseman Elijah Jenkins earned a bump from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie. It is a standard spring transaction, but it signals where the club sees its middle-tier prospects heading into the year. You do not survive a major league schedule with just the guys in the big league clubhouse. You survive it with the guys sitting in Erie and Toledo, waiting for the phone to ring. The 2051 season starts next week, and the Tigers are making sure the backups have their bags packed.

Notebook

• [G]Released by the Texas organization.
• Placed LF Willie Figueroa on the active roster.
• Activated LF Willie Figueroa from the injured list.
• Optioned RF Matt Gray to Triple A Toledo.
• Optioned RP Sergio Arellano to Triple A Toledo.