Tigers' McCann thrilled, Holaday bummed after cuts

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Detroit Tigers made some tough cuts today, finalizing their position players a week before Opening Day.

Catcher Bryan Holaday and outfielder Tyler Collins were the most notable of the eight cuts. Both were optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

The Tigers also sent catcher Manny Pina, infielders Aaron Westlake, Jordan Lennerton and Jefry Marte and outfielders Jason Krizan and Xavier Avery to minor league camp.

The Tigers now have 29 players in major league camp. Infielder Josh Wilson is the only non-roster invitee left and isn't expected to make the 25-man team.

With Holaday optioned, James McCann will make the Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher. With Collins optioned, the Tigers will keep both Andrew Romine and Hernan Perez as utility men. Perez, though, isn't celebrating. He said he's not taking anything for granted until he's heading north with the Tigers.

Starting catcher Alex Avila watched as one teammate left the locker room disappointed while another was excited for his future.

"He was obviously upset," Avila said of Holaday. "Everybody loves Holaday, so that was obviously a tough decision they had to make.

"We've got a week to go. Normally with a week left, you want to try to have your team together and almost make it more like a regular-season feel."

Avila said there's nothing you can say to a player going through the disappointment of being cut: "There's a lot of emotion there."

Asked about McCann, Avila said: "He's another great kid. ... Mac's got a lot of potential. I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure he's prepared going into the games. Bottom line, we need to win. We gotta make sure we back each other up whenever one of us is playing, in order to achieve that goal."

Manager Brad Ausmus said Holaday was "very professional and calm" about today's news.

"Nobody enjoys hearing bad news," Ausmus said. "I certainly don't enjoy giving bad news to good people."

Ausmus said telling Holaday was probably the toughest among the cuts because "I have a previous relationship with him, in the sense that he was here all year last year as one of our catchers.

"He was a very important part of the team and very important part of our clubhouse. He's well-liked by everyone. He's funny. I wish I could keep he and McCann."

Ausmus said Holaday "is a big-league catcher," and he expects Holaday to play for the Tigers at some point this season. Holaday, 27, batted .200 in 12 games this spring. He hit .231 in 62 games for the Tigers last season.

McCann, 24, is batting .371 in 17 games this spring. He hit .250 in nine games with the Tigers and .295 with 34 doubles in 109 games at Toledo last season.

"It's a blessing that words don't really describe," McCann said. "Obviously it's something you dream about as a kid, making an Opening Day roster, right up there with playing in a World Series. That kind of stuff.

"I'm excited ... but at the same time, it's just the beginning of a journey. Yes, it's an accomplishment. Yeah, I'm proud of it. ... There's bigger goals, like playing in a World Series."

Verlander scratched from Thursday start

Ausmus said he felt that keeping McCann "makes us a better team." Ausmus said McCann, who bats right-handed, will get a chance to face some right-handed pitching in the first week of the season because the Tigers aren't scheduled to go up against a lefty.

"Just can't leave him sitting on the bench for a week," Ausmus said, "so he's going to get some at-bats."

Asked whether McCann was more than a backup, Ausmus said: "Ask me in September.

"I think he's got the ability to be a big-league starter at some point in his career. When that is, I'm not not sure."

Ausmus said Collins understood the logic behind the decision to send him to Triple-A.

"He wouldn't be used very much, based on our lineup, based on the fact that we kind of have four outfielders already," Ausmus said. "He understood that just sitting on the bench, getting one or two at-bats a week, wouldn't be good for him. It would be better for him to be playing every day should something happen to one of our outfielders. He could come up and fill that hole."

Tigers roster breakdown:

Starters: David Price (LHP), Anibal Sanchez, Alfredo Simon, Justin Verlander, Shane Greene.

Left-handed relievers: Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Krol, Kyle Ryan, Blaine Hardy.

Right-handed relievers: Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, Bruce Rondon, Joba Chamberlain, Angel Nesbitt, Al Alburquerque.

Catchers: Alex Avila, James McCann.

Infielders: Jose Iglesias, Ian Kinsler, Nick Castellanos, Miguel Cabrera, Hernan Perez, Andrew Romine, Josh Wilson (non-roster invitee).

Outfielders: Anthony Gose, Rajai Davis, J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes

DH: Victor Martinez.

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.