Carlos Guillen makes return from microfracture surgery this afternoon

As expected, the Tigers have activated Carlos Guillen from the 60-day disabled list. He’ll bat seventh and play second base this afternoon against the White Sox.

Guillen hasn’t played in the major leagues this season following microfracture surgery on his right knee last September. The 35-year-old batted .318 (12-for-38) with one home run and eight RBI over 12 games with Triple-A Toledo during his minor league rehab assignment.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told Chris Iott of MLive.com that he’s hoping Guillen can represent an upgrade offensively.

“We’re expecting him to play well for us and contribute offensively,” Dombrowski said. “It’s up to Jim (Leyland) when he plays him, of course, but we’re bringing him back to play second base the majority of the time.”

Tigers’ second basemen have combined to bat just .241/.301/.334 with six homers and a .635 OPS this season.

Guillen’s return actually works out quite nicely for the Tigers, who have a couple weeks to see whether he can actually handle playing second base on a regular basis. If not, they could eventually move him into a platoon with Brandon Inge at third and pick up a second baseman before the July 31 trade deadline.