Porcello, 20, and Perry, 22, have never pitched above Class A.

--DH Gary Sheffield was released by the Tigers on March 31, leaving the nine-time All-Star with 499 career home runs and no team. It's likely Sheffield will find another job quickly, however, as he can be signed for the $400,000 minimum salary with the Tigers having to pay the remainder of the $14 million Sheffield is due this season.

Sheffield, 40, was hitting only .178 in spring training but had five home runs among his eight hits. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Sheffield said, "It's one of those things where you move on, you know? I was surprised. I thought I was getting ready for the season. I never thought that I wasn't going to be playing with the Detroit Tigers this year. It's probably a blessing."

With the move, Marcus Thames becomes the Tigers' designated hitter.

--RHP Jeremy Bonderman, recovering from surgeries to remove a blood clot and to restore circulation to his right shoulder, will open the season on the disabled list. The move will give Bonderman time to get his fastball velocity back into the low 90s.

--OF Timo Perez, a non-roster camp invitee who enjoyed a solid spring, was reassigned to the Tigers' minor league camp. He batted .333 in Grapefruit League action.

--INF Will Rhymes, who played well last year in Class AA and the Arizona Fall League, was reassigned to the Tigers' minor league camp. He hit .182 in spring training.

--RHP Rick Porcello was removed from the March 31 game after being struck on the right side by a line drive. He pitched one inning after getting hit.

Porcello, 20, admits he's still learning. "I need to clear my head and focus on one pitch at a time," he said recently. "I know I can get guys out, but it isn't easy when you throw a lot of pitches to each hitter. It's not that I'm jumping out of my shoes. It's just that I have to take a deep breath and find that rhythm again."

--OF Clete Thomas, slowed this spring while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed was September, was optioned to Class AAA Toledo. Thomas didn't play in the field until March 25. His arm is not at full strength, but he's been long-tossing on a regular basis and is expected to be able to play when the minor league season begins.

--OF Josh Anderson was acquired from the Braves in exchange for minor league RHP Rudy Darrow, and he will serve as a backup at all three outfield positions. Anderson, 26, lost a battle to be the Braves' starting center fielder this spring. He batted .294 and stole 10 bases in 40 major league games last year.

Darrow, 25, split last season between high Class A and Class AA, going a combined 5-3 with 10 saves and a 2.02 ERA.

--RHP Joel Zumaya was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, retroactive to March 27. "When we get him back, I want him for good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "So we're going to take all the steps to make sure that he's ready to pitch, ready to pitch back to back, and we're in the process of doing that."

--LHP Dontrelle Willis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an anxiety disorder. Willis, for his part, doesn't understand the diagnosis and has said he feels well. "I have no idea, but (the doctors) didn't like what they saw in the blood," Willis said. "This is not something where I'm too amped up and I don't know where I'm at, and I'm running sprints up and down the parking lot."

--RHP Justin Verlander has been confirmed as Detroit's Opening Day pitcher for the second consecutive season. "I've known it for a while, but I wasn't exactly sure," manager Jim Leyland said. Verlander won 35 games his first two seasons with the Tigers but lost 17 a year ago. "He's really making an effort to make the steps to be as successful as he can be." Verlander blanked Atlanta on two singles over seven innings March 27 in his third straight strong start after cleaning up his mechanics. He threw 75 pitches in his seven innings, a trait of his first two seasons that had ballooned to 100 through five last season. He had five shutout innings in his previous start and has allowed only one run on five hits in his last 18 innings. "He's really working hard on some things he's figured out himself and with (pitching coach) Rick Knapp," Leyland said. "He's making improvements that are good to see."

--LHP Nate Robertson might have to be moved back from his scheduled start March 30 because of a sprained thumb suffered March 25 in the first inning of his start. Robertson took a relay throw on a double-play attempt on his left thumb. He entered the weekend scheduled to throw on the side to determine whether he would be able to start. "I'm a pretty tough guy," he said after X-rays showed no break in the thumb.

--SS Adam Everett hoped to be back on the field during the weekend after spraining his left ankle sliding into second base March 25 when a pop fly dropped behind shortstop for a hit. "I want to be back as soon as possible," he said. Manager Jim Leyland said, "I thought Everett had blown his knee out at first. I don't know for sure, but I don't think he'll be out for long."

--RHP Jeremy Bonderman believes everything is present in his repertoire -- except his fastball. Bonderman has been throwing at about 88-89 mph rather than in the low 90s, as he has done in the past. "I'm as concerned as he is, but I look at the bright side," manager Jim Leyland said. "There's no pain in his shoulder. That indicates to me (his arm strength) will come back. Exactly how soon, I can't answer that. Next time? I don't know. Five times from now? I don't know. Is he going to be ready? I don't know. I'm planning to pitch him again on Sunday, but is he going to be ready? I don't know. I can't answer that. The positive sign is that he's not hurting at all. If he was down on velocity and having pain, I would be concerned." Leyland hinted that if the velocity remains down, Bonderman might stay behind to keep working rather than open the season with the Tigers.

--OF Clete Thomas returned to the outfield March 25 for the first time this spring. Thomas, who had Tommy John surgery on Sept. 11, started in right field. He played only as a pinch hitter or designated hitter in previous spring action. He is scheduled to open the season with Class AAA Toledo but likely would be the first outfielder called up should something happen to CF Curtis Granderson.

--RHP Edwin Jackson will pitch in Detroit's second game of the regular season, April 7 at Toronto. For that reason, manager Jim Leyland decided to pitch Jackson in a minor league game on March 28 rather than have him work against the Blue Jays in a scheduled exhibition game.

BY THE NUMBERS: 13 -- Strikeouts by Tigers 3B George Kell as he was winning the batting title in 1949 with a .3429 average, .0002 better than Ted Williams. It's the fewest strikeouts ever in a season by a batting champion. Kell, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981, died March 25 at the age of 86 at his home in Swifton, Ark.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm doing you a favor. Detroit is a great place to play baseball. I can't pay you what you deserve and they can." -- A's owner-manager Connie Mack to 3B George Kell on May 18, 1946, on the occasion of trading him to Detroit for OF Barney McCosky. Kell played for Detroit until 1952 and ended his career breaking in 3B Brooks Robinson for Baltimore in 1957.