LAKELAND, Fla. -- In early May, the Detroit Tigers will play two games on the road against the Washington Nationals.

They also will play road games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets before closing the 2013 season with three games in Miami against the Marlins.

Victor Martinez will do what he can to be prepared to play in some of those games, which will not feature the designated hitter. When he made his way into the clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday -- still sweating from his workout -- he was carrying a catcher's glove.

"I'm still catching," Martinez said. "I don't see the reason why not. I always work hard to play. I always work hard to catch. I've always been in the shape that I am right now. I don't see any reason. But we'll take it slow. It's the first day."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland didn't have much to say on the topic, but he did not shut the door on the idea.

"You know when interleague play comes up that Victor Martinez has something in the back of his mind," Leyland said. "I'll leave it at that."

Leyland expanded a bit when asked about the topic again later in the day.

"Victor's thinking, 'I'm a catcher. Maybe if I get really feeling good, maybe I can get myself in the lineup in those interleague games,' " Leyland said. "That's common sense. But we're going to let that (be) on the back burner for now. We don't want him to be squatting and doing a lot of that stuff right now.

"If that's an option later, that would once again be a bonus."

Martinez appeared in 26 games as a catcher in 2011, but none after injuring his knee on a slide into home in August of that season. He then missed the entire 2012 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a workout prior to the start of spring training.

Whether Martinez will see any action behind the plate this season remains to be seen. But he certainly is preparing as if he will.

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