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Iglesias will hit eighth in the Tigers' Grapefruit League lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles and appears likely to frequently occupy that spot in the order when the season begins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Viewed as a candidate for the two hole after seeing most of his at-bats in that spot during spring training, Iglesias' assignment as the No. 8 hitter Monday is significant with manager Ron Gardenhire deploying all of the team's projected regulars in the lineup. It appears Gardenhire is comfortable using Jeimer Candelario as the No. 2 hitter in light of the solid on-base skills the third baseman has shown this spring, so Iglesias' base-stealing and run-scoring opportunities could be limited if the current lineup configuration holds for a good portion of the campaign. Even if the switch-hitting Candelario drops in the lineup against southpaws to open room near the top of the order for Iglesias, the shortstop would still rank as a lower-end fantasy option at his position due to his lack of high-end speed or power.
