MINNEAPOLIS -- Kenny Rogers is getting back into a workout routine. It's just not yet the routine he wants to be in, the one where he starts every fifth game.

"The routine is starting to get back to normal, even though I'm not on the mound yet," Rogers said Saturday afternoon. "It's starting to get a little closer to that because I've been able to throw. The routine probably isn't going to be the same until you get in games. The first month, it didn't matter. The first month, you're at home. You can't do anything, so it doesn't really feel [the same]."

Now, he's seeing it, but he feels like he's steadily progressing. He's throwing long toss from about 100 feet at this point, and he'll start stepping it up as his arm improves.

"It's part of the process of getting back to where you want to be," Rogers said. "The rehab process is very boring. Nobody likes it, but I'm also understanding that it is what it is right now. ... I just have to find the right mixture, what's the right amount to push you enough to where you're getting back in shape, where you want to be, but also that you don't push it to the point where you have to back up."

In other words, Rogers is trying to be "careful, but not overly cautious" with what is far from a traditional pitching injury. He's scheduled to come back by the All-Star break, giving him a chance to make an impact over the season's second half and home stretch.

While he's working toward his return, he's trying to make an impact by doing what he can for the guys who are contributing now. He has been seen numerous times talking with pitchers in the dugout in between innings, lending advice when asked or observations when he notices something.

"It lets you feel like you're doing something," Rogers said. "I mean, nothing replaces the competitive part of it except being out there. That's where you're hoping to get to, but still, you can maybe have an impact. That helps a little bit."

On Saturday, he had tips for Chad Durbin in between many of his innings. Early on, when Durbin gave up three walks in his first two innings, Rogers encouraged him to keep the same approach, since he wasn't missing the strike zone by much, but just come back towards the plate a bit.

Rogers also noticed that he was pushing the ball early, Durbin said, and that he needed to relax on the mound.

"It's huge," Durbin said. "Because he's been out there doing it all his career, he really makes sense with what he's saying. And he has a good approach when he's talking, too. He's not telling. He's saying, 'Well, why don't you try this? And if it doesn't work for you, try this.'"

Triple trouble: The triples from Curtis Granderson and Carlos Guillen on Friday night marked the fifth straight game the Tigers have hit at least one triple, a streak they've accomplished just two other times in the last 50 years. The previous time was a six-game triple streak on July 25-31, 2001. The other was a five-game streak on May 14-17, 1961.

The 2001 streak makes the Tigers the last American League team to triple in six consecutive games, according to research on Baseball-Reference.com. The last AL team to triple in five straight games before this streak was the Baltimore Orioles on May 27-31, 2005.

Travel day: Virgil Vasquez spent Saturday afternoon traveling from Pawtucket, R.I., to Minneapolis, where he was expected to arrive Saturday night. Even if he had arrived in time for the game, he would not have been allowed to be in the clubhouse per Major League Baseball rules, since he was not yet on the 25-man roster.

Leyland would like to give Vasquez a chance to prepare for Sunday's start as he normally would for any of his other outings.

"You don't want to look like you're going overboard to relax him, and you don't want to go overboard to avoid him," Leyland said.

Pudge rests: Leyland gave Ivan Rodriguez a day out of the starting lineup on Saturday. It wasn't merely a tactic for a day game after a night game, but a day game after a night game in which Rodriguez took his share of foul tips, including one off his left foot around the same area where he had a deep bruise a couple of weeks ago.

"I never like to keep a star player out on national TV," Leyland said. "But to me, Pudge got [beat up] last night."

Leyland expects to put Rodriguez back in the lineup for Sunday night's ESPN game.

Going out on a good note: Aquilino Lopez was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo after Saturday's game to make room for Virgil Vasquez and his Sunday night start. Before Lopez left, however, he tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Durbin to earn his first save since September 24, 2003, when he was a Rule 5 Draft pick in the Blue Jays bullpen.

Major game for Miner: Zach Miner turned in his best outing out of the season and his second consecutive solid performance for Toledo on Friday night. The right-hander scattered three hits in seven scoreless innings at Pawtucket, striking out six PawSox against one walk. He left with the lead, poised for his first win of the season, before Pawtucket battled back for a 3-2 win in 14 innings.

Miner hasn't given up an earned run in 13 innings over his last two starts. He allowed two unearned runs May 6 in a 3-0 loss at Columbus.

On Saturday, Dallas Trahern stepped in for Vasquez in Toledo's rotation and tossed 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball for a 3-2 win. He scattered five hits and three walks. Meanwhile, Andrew Miller made his Double-A Erie debut a day earlier than originally scheduled and pitched eight innings with a run allowed on six hits with seven strikeouts Saturday night at Akron. He took a no-decision in a 2-1 SeaWolves loss in 11 innings.

Coming up: The Tigers will enjoy their first appearance of the season on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, as well as the Major League debut of Vasquez, in the series finale against the Twins at the Metrodome. Boof Bonser (0-1, 3.96) will start for Minnesota. Game time is 8:05 p.m. ET.