LAKELAND, Fla. — Veteran infielder Gio Urshela was never guaranteed by the Detroit Tigers to be the primary third baseman after signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract in late February.

Having Urshela serve as the primary third baseman always made the most sense, but the Tigers didn't make any declarations about his playing time when discussing the decision to sign him, simply because the Tigers needed to evaluate his on-field performance in return from a broken pelvis.

"We need him to be healthy," manager A.J. Hinch said Feb. 23, the day after Urshela signed his contract. "We don't have to decide today exactly how it's going to work out, and we won't because there are a lot of things that have to happen on the field."

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Urshela — amid health uncertainties — showed up for full-squad workouts as a late signee and entered the mix of infielders competing for reps at the hot corner, joining Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez. The plan was for Urshela, who has been a Gold Glove finalist for his defense, to emerge as the primary third baseman.

There are nine days until the Tigers take the field for Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox.

Urshela hasn't locked down third base.

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"It's still very competitive who's going to get the reps at third base," Hinch said before Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Urshela at third base and Vierling at designated hitter.

Vierling will play three of his next four games at third base in spring training, including Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. He was projected to be the primary third baseman before the Tigers signed Urshela, only to move back to his previous role as an outfielder after the signing.

Still, Vierling finished last season at third base spent the entire offseason training to be the third baseman.

"It's still very much an emphasis for him," Hinch said of Vierling at third base. "We're trying to gauge how I'm going to use the team and where these guys are going to play. I tried to center the beginning of camp a little bit mixed, the middle of camp more outfield and the end of the camp more infield, and then we'll get into the season."

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Here's how the Tigers have distributed the third-base reps in spring training, entering Tuesday's game: 39 of his 56 innings for Urshela (69.6%), 29 of 60 innings for Ibáñez (48.3%), 26 of 57 innings for McKinstry (45.6%) and 14 of 58 innings for Vierling (24.1%). Urshela is the best defender, but on offense, he isn't driving the ball to the gaps, hitting for power or drawing walks.

Urshela and Vierling — both right-handed hitters — are at the top of the pecking order in the internal plan for a primary third baseman, whereas Ibáñez and McKinstry seem more likely to be used off the bench in strategic ways. Ryan Kreidler, the best defender in the entire organization, is another player to keep in mind, but he might be the everyday shortstop in Triple-A Toledo.

Plan A is Urshela, but the Tigers won't hesitate to pivot to Vierling as Plan B at third base.

Medical update

The Tigers haven't had more than one player on the medical report since March 8.

Right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long, who has been dealing with a left groin strain since the beginning of spring training, will throw a live batting practice Wednesday in Lakeland, Florida.

It will be a simulated game.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who plays third base for Detroit Tigers? 'It's still very competitive'