Henning: Ausmus isn't only one facing uncertain future with Tigers

This will be different, this September in Detroit.

No playoffs for the Tigers means adjustments on all fronts. For fans who loved anticipating the delicious tension a short postseason series, on baseball’s national stage, promised. And for a team that needs to finish this mess of a year as cleanly as possible ahead of major renovations that will begin as quickly as a final out is notarized Oct. 4 at Chicago.

Among questions that will at least partly be answered during September:

Will call-ups from the farm be of any help or importance?

Not especially. The Tigers will add catcher Bryan Holaday, when and if his dislocated thumb has healed. They will find Dixon Machado potentially handy. They likely will want to take a look at Steven Moya, whom The (Toledo) Blade reported has moved, not coincidentally, to left field from right field. And they will summon a couple of pitchers such as Kyle Ryan and Jose Valdez.

But it’s improbable the Tigers would add to the mix their Double A hotshot starter, Michael Fulmer, since Fulmer doesn’t yet have a spot on the 40-man roster (a prerequisite for being called to Detroit) and since he is being delicately prepped for beginning 2016 at Triple A.

Mike Hessman is a sentimental favorite to be brought aboard. But that isn’t a percentage bet. Hessman has no 40-man spot. He and the Tigers have been planning these past few years for Hessman’s new life as a coach or manager, which figures to begin in earnest as soon as Toledo’s season ends, Sept. 7.

Will Miguel Cabrera win his fourth batting title in the past five seasons?

Yes. And for one reason: He is Cabrera, the best hitter in baseball.

Is there anything Brad Ausmus can do to keep his job?

It’s doubtful. This bad year of baseball in Detroit isn’t his fault. It began, and will end, fundamentally as a year in which pitching was destined to destroy the Tigers.

But justice rarely applies to managers losing their jobs. And with a new general manager, Al Avila, in place, a team undergoing its share of structural changes almost mandates a new skipper.

Best bet to replace Ausmus: Ron Gardenhire. He knows the division and knows the Tigers. And he wants to manage again after a one-year sabbatical. He is 57. He likely would be viewed by Avila in the same fashion as a decade ago Dave Dombrowski had one person in mind to replace Alan Trammell: Jim Leyland.

Is it possible Victor Martinez is in his hitting twilight?

Three-plus months ahead of turning 37, age definitely is a suspect in Martinez’s somber 2015 season. But more likely, his troublesome left knee has been sabotaging his swing since he had surgery in February.

The Tigers owe him for three more seasons. More than not having wasted big bucks, they need him to hit at Victor Martinez levels for at least two more years. September isn’t likely to confirm either way whether that’s realistically in Martinez’s forecast.

Will reliable bullpen pitchers for 2016 emerge?

They must. And the must-perform group begins with Bruce Rondon, who is Detroit’s best bet to close games in 2016. Rondon has been irksomely inconsistent. He needs to prove during September that his 2015 ins-and-outs have given way to a brand of fireproof pitching Avila and Co. absolutely require from the bullpen’s best arm.

Also important: Drew VerHagen’s development as a late-innings option. His 96 mph fastball and hard repertoire make him the brand of pitcher Detroit needs as part of its back-end mix. The role appears to fit. He’ll be watched closely in September.

Are the Tigers holding September auditions for their left-field opening in 2016?

Help would be appreciated. But it’s doubtful the Tigers view Tyler Collins, or for sure Moya, as their safe option heading into spring camp. Collins could make the team next April as a fourth outfielder or platoon option. But it’s almost certain the Tigers will shoot for a steadier starter in left. Yoenis Cespedes’ rocketing price tag will make him a tough target for Detroit, although another free agent-to-be, Ben Zobrist, could be enticing.

Are the Tigers and Alex Avila entering their final weeks together?

Probably. But there’s a caveat. Avila is an attractive choice as next year’s backup to James McCann. Catchers, though, are precious, and because of his left-handed bat, on-base percentage, and his superb catching skills, Avila will have options.

Best guess: Avila signs elsewhere this autumn.

Will the Tigers be any closer during September in getting a handle on their 2016 rotation?

It’s doubtful, mostly because Daniel Norris isn’t returning any time soon from his strained oblique muscle. Justin Verlander will be next year’s Opening Day pitcher, almost assuredly. Anibal Sanchez is healing from his stressed rotator cuff and should be in good shape ahead of spring training.

Al Avila has said the Tigers will shop for two starting pitchers during the offseason. That leaves Norris, Matt Boyd, Shane Greene, and eventually, Fulmer, to decide who fills out the 2016 rotation and provides depth the Tigers never for a moment had in 2015.

Should the Tigers move Nick Castellanos to left field?

No. Not at this stage. Castellanos at 23 is rounding into the mid-order hitter he steadily was destined to become.

Two-way third basemen are among the most difficult roster pieces in all of baseball to secure. Castellanos is extremely limited, defensively, at third. But, again, it’s tough to have it both ways.

He had picked up a step to his left early in the season and that step appears to have since disappeared. An offseason regimen designed to add a tad of range should calm critics who aren’t doing a very good job of offering adequate replacements for Castellanos at third.

Can the Tigers count on Anthony Gose as 2016’s center fielder?

It’s a valid question, although September won’t have much effect on overall evaluations.

Gose gets the job done in center, defensively. Unfortunately for the Tigers, he has receded to Gose-like levels that were on display during his days with the Blue Jays

The Tigers have greater worries heading into 2016. About the only way Gose loses that center-field job is if the Tigers decide to resurrect his former career as a pitcher.

On that front, they will need in 2016 all the help they can get.

lynn.henning@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/Lynn_Henning

On deck: Royals

Series: Three games, Tuesday-Thursday, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

First pitch: 8:10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday

TV/radio: FSD/97.1

Probables: Tuesday — RHP Justin Verlander (2-6, 3.45) vs. RHP Johnny Cueto (9-9, 2.94); Wednesday — LHP Randy Wolf (0-2, 2.57) vs. RHP Yordano Ventura (9-7, 4.41); Thursday — LHP Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.12) vs. RHP Edinson Volquez (12-7, 3.27).

Scouting report

■Cueto, Royals: At some point, you have to figure him out, right? This will be the fourth time the Tigers have faced Cueto and his multiple and deceptive deliveries this season. They are hitting .160 against him, just five runs in 21.1 innings. His WHIP in the three previous starts is 0.75. The last outing, Aug. 10, he threw a four-hit shutout at Comerica.

■Verlander, Tigers: How good has he been? In his last four starts he’s pitched 29 innings, allowed one earned run (four total) and 12 hits with 31 strikeouts and eight walks. That’s an 0.31 ERA and a 0.690 WHIP. In his first six starts, he was getting swings and misses on 14 percent of his fastballs. In the last seven starts, he’s getting 28 percent swings and misses on his fastball.