LAKELAND, Fla. — In his rookie season with the Detroit Tigers, Niko Goodrum spent time at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and both corner outfield spots.

The next logical step was to try him in center field, and manager Ron Gardenhire did just that during spring training this month.

“We’re just looking for places to put him. We’re going to play him everywhere,” Gardenhire said. “Except catcher. We’re not going to do that yet.”

Goodrum’s bat makes him a decent asset for the Tigers, but his versatility is what really sets him apart, and there’s increasing evidence that major league teams are putting more value on his type of jack-of-all-trades skill set. More players have been moved around the diamond in recent seasons, a sign of how important the modern utility player is to the flexibility of a big league lineup.

According to the play index at Baseball-Reference.com, 31 players appeared in at least one game last season at first base, second base, third base and shortstop. That’s the most of any season included in the data, going all the way back to 1908. The previous record was 29, set in 2017.

A record seven players last year appeared at every defensive position except pitcher and catcher. Three of them — Enrique Hernandez, Hernan Perez and Andrew Romine — actually did pitch as well.

“I think teams are recognizing that you can maximize your roster,” said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash, whose team includes a couple of good utility players in Daniel Robertson and Joey Wendle.

With relievers facing so many batters nowadays — and taking up roster spots — teams often don’t have the luxury of a deep bench of capable position players. It helps to have someone who is comfortable in a lot of different spots defensively.

And some modern strategies make versatility an obvious plus.

A player on the roster for his glove can make himself more useful by playing a lot of positions.