During an appearance Wednesday on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said that Johnny Damon's name will "likely come up" as a possible replacement for Victor Martinez as the club's designated hitter.
Leyland also said that Damon "didn't produce as much as we thought he would" when he was with the club in 2009 and that the 38-year-old doesn't fit the mold of a "prototype DH," so a return to Detroit is far from a sure thing. Carlos Pena, Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, Casey Kotchman and Raul Ibanez are among the other names being mentioned in the media, though it's unclear which ones are actually on the Tigers' radar. While it will be tough to fill V-Mart's shoes, chances are they'll add someone on a one-year deal.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland said "all systems are a go" for Delmon Young (oblique) and Victor Martinez (intercostal strain) in Game 6.
"Unless they trip on a plane or something they’ll be alright," Leyland said. "I haven’t heard anything. I haven’t gotten any negative feedback from our trainers." Martinez injured himself in Game 3 on a swing that resulted in a home run but has been able to play through the injury. Young, who missed Game 1 and Game 3, is expected to start in left field and bat fifth.
Sat, Oct 15, 2011 08:31:00 AM
Delmon Young will start in left field and bat fifth in Game 5 of the ALCS on Thursday afternoon.
Young, who is playing through a strained oblique, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday's extra-inning loss. Miguel Cabrera will hit third again Thursday while Victor Martinez bats cleanup.
Thu, Oct 13, 2011 11:57:00 AM
Delmon Young (oblique) is in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the ALCS against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Young was scratched from the lineup in Game 3 due to his recent oblique injury, but he'll start in left field and bat fifth Wednesday against the left-hander Matt Harrison. Meanwhile, Miguel Cabrera will hit third and Victor Martinez will bat cleanup. Ryan Raburn will make the start in right field.
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 01:42:00 PM
Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta played an instrumental role in bringing Victor Martinez to Detroit.
"They asked me, ‘What do you think of Victor?’" said Peralta. "I said we need this guy here. He’s a really good hitter and he’s going to bring a lot of energy to the team. What I said he’d do, he’s done." Both former Indians have produced at a high level for the Tigers this season. Peralta hit .299 with 25 doubles, three triples, 21 homers and 86 RBI. Martinez went 178-for-540 (.330) with 40 doubles, 12 homers and 103 RBI, and drove in the winning run in Detroit’s 3-2 victory over New York in Game 5.
Sat, Oct 8, 2011 09:48:00 AM
Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Miguel Cabrera would play third base and Victor Martinez would be at first base in National League parks should the team make the World Series.
The Tigers have already begun giving Cabrera ground balls in order to get re-acclimated to the position. Miggy, of course, has played a ton of games at third base in his career, but he hasn't done so regularly since 2007, and he was a much slimmer man back then. "I'm not dumb enough to put the cart before the horse," Leyland said, "but you've got to make plans. Common sense says, if given the chance, I won't lose Victor Martinez's and Miguel Cabrera's bat. You can't lose one because then you lose both. I'm just trying to make sure we are prepared."
Fri, Sep 23, 2011 09:47:00 AM
Alex Avila is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rangers.
That means that Victor Martinez will catch Brad Penny again, despite their heated argument on the mound last week against the Angels. Miguel Cabrera will serve as the designated hitter Thursday while Don Kelly plays first base.
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 10:34:00 AM
Carlos Guillen went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored in a win over the Angels on Friday night.
Victor Martinez also drove in four runs. Guillen had a two-run triple in the sixth, an RBI double in the seventh and a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He is now batting .295 (13-for-44) with one home run and 10 RBI since returning from the disabled list. He is a pretty poor bet to stay healthy playing second base on a regular basis, but is worth considering as a middle infield option in mixed leagues.
Sat, Jul 30, 2011 01:20:00 AM
Miguel Cabrera is not in Tuesday's starting lineup against the Dodgers.
As expected. Victor Martinez will make the start at first base Tuesday while Alex Avila is back behind the plate. Look for Cabrera to return to the lineup Wednesday.
Tue, Jun 21, 2011 06:33:00 PM
Tigers manager Jim Leyland said that Miguel Cabrera will be given a day off Tuesday against the Dodgers.
You can thank interleague play for this one. Victor Martinez will play first base while Alex Avila, who was held out of the lineup Monday, will return behind the dish.
Mon, Jun 20, 2011 08:32:00 PM
Alex Avila is not in Monday's lineup against the Dodgers.
He's just getting the day off. Tigers manager Jim Leyland will start Victor Martinez behind the dish and Danny Worth at the hot corner Monday.
Mon, Jun 20, 2011 05:46:00 PM
Alex Avila will make his first major league start at third base Friday against the Rockies.
Leyland has discussed the plan throughout the week, as it allows him to have Avila, Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera in the lineup at the same time while playing under National League rules. This doesn't have a tremendous amount of fantasy impact, as Avila likely won't play there enough to gain eligibility in most formats.
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 04:47:00 PM
