When is Opening Day 2017 for the Detroit Tigers?

Detroit Tigers players continue to chip away at the Grapefruit League schedule. With April right around the corner, Major League Baseball’s regular season is fast approaching—and that means Opening Day.

Detroit Tigers baseball is back.

The franchise returned from a largely uneventful offseason with a similar to the 2016 season, when Detroit pushed for a playoff spot.

Cameron Maybin represents the only notable departure in the starting lineup, while the bench will likely get a much-needed injection of youth and speed.

Detroit’s Opening Day roster isn’t set in stone, but the bench could conceivably include some combination of Andrew Romine, Dixon Machado, Tyler Collins, Alex Avila, Mikie Mahtook and Steven Moya.

That unit will back up an Opening Day lineup that will look similar to last year’s regular batting orders.

With the exception of Maybin and the injured J.D. Martinez, expect the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez to start.

Meanwhile, JaCoby Jones has a chance to take over in center field thanks to a strong spring.

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The former top prospect is hitting .333 with a .391 on-base percentage, a .525 slugging percentage and an .864 OPS.

Jones has also added seven runs scored, four RBI, three stolen bases, three walks, two home runs, a double and a triple in 42 at-bats.

What is perhaps most encouraging is that he’s only gone down on strikes nine times.

When is Opening Day?

So when will you get a chance to see Cabrera, Kinsler, Martinez and potentially Jones start on Opening Day?

That would be Monday, April 3.

Including Tuesday’s contest against the New York Yankees, the Detroit Tigers have five more Spring Training games on the schedule. After that, they’ll head north for Opening Day.

This season, the club will be taking on the Chicago White Sox to kick off the 2017 regular season.

Justin Verlander is set to match up with Jose Quintana of the White Sox.

Quintana owns a 3.41 career ERA and a 19.7 WAR since entering the league in 2012. He made the American League All-Star Team, and finished 10^th in the Cy Young voting last season.

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Detroit Tigers Hitters Against Jose Quintana

However, despite the strong numbers, the left-hander hasn’t always had the best stats against the Tigers.

Quintana owns a 4.08 ERA in 106 innings against Detroit. He’s been hit particularly hard by the Tigers best hitters.

Victor Martinez is hitting a blistering .436 in 39 at-bats against the starter, while Miguel Cabrera owns a .349 batting average, a 1.045 OPS, seven RBI, five doubles and two home runs in 43 at-bats.

Justin Upton has only registered 14 at-bats against Quintana, but has come out the winner in most of them, with a .357 batting average, five RBI, a home run and a double.

Meanwhile, second baseman Ian Kinsler is hitting a robust .304 in 46 lifetime at-bats.

Fellow infielder Nick Castellanos also owns respectable numbers (.281 batting average, three RBI in 32 at-bats) versus the southpaw.

Next: See Where Tigers Rank in the Latest Power Rankings

As of now, first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time on April 3.