Veteran infielder Infante looking to land CF job with Tigers

Omar Infante is hoping a position change can help him land a big-league roster spot with the Detroit Tigers.

The 35-year-old veteran infielder is in camp on a minor-league deal, but understands his playing time would likely be limited in the middle infield, so he's looking for a shot to land a job as an outfielder.

"I'd like to play center field because my legs feel good, my arm feels good, and everything feels good to try to compete," Infante told Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. "I know there's a lot of guys in here but I have to compete with them and see what happens.”

Infante has logged 1,045 games at second base during his 15 seasons in the majors. He's appeared in center field 45 times, but not since 2009 when he played in eight games at the position.

Though it's likely a long shot that Infante will win the job, center field is the position on the Tigers' roster that possess the least amount of depth. Mikie Mahtook, Tyler Collins, Anthony Gose, and Alex Presley will all be competing for time in camp, though none have had overwhelming success at the major-league level.

"I'm going to try to do that because I want to play," Infante said. "When you play infield, you handle a lot of situations. In the outfield, you just read the ball, that's it."

Infante appeared in 39 games with the Kansas City Royals last season, hitting .239/.279/.321 with nine doubles.