Major League Baseball

Tigers place Jackson on DL

Published May. 13, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday because of a pulled left hamstring, leaving the Tigers without a talented leadoff hitter who also covers a lot of ground defensively in spacious Comerica Park.

The move is retroactive to Sunday, when Jackson missed a game against Cleveland following the injury.

''You want to make sure it's right. No sense fooling with it,'' manager Jim Leyland said. ''The way they've got to treat it, it'd probably be five, six days for sure. We just want to make sure that it's done right.''

The Tigers recalled outfielder Avisail Garcia from Triple-A Toledo.

Jackson is hitting .272 with a team-high five stolen bases. Garcia hit .319 in 47 at-bats toward the end of last season, playing well enough that he made Detroit's postseason roster. Leyland said Garcia is a candidate to play center field in Jackson's absence, although Don Kelly started there Monday night against Houston.

Left fielder Andy Dirks could also be moved to center if needed. One thing Leyland ruled out was the possibility of shifting Torii Hunter from right field to center.

''We'll have a guy out there who can cover a lot of ground,'' Leyland said. ''Kelly's pretty good at covering a lot of ground - not to the extent of Austin Jackson, obviously - and Garcia will cover a lot of ground when he plays.''

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