A.L. names Joyce player of the week

7/15/2008

Former Mud Hens and current Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce was named the

American League Player of the Week for his performances in a period

that ended Sunday.

Joyce batted .409 (9-for-22) with four homers, four doubles, and six

RBIs in five games. In 13 games since he rejoined the Tigers from

Toledo to fill in for the injured Magglio Ordonez, Joyce is batting

.341 (14-for-41) with six doubles, a triple, and four homers to go

with eight RBIs.

With Ordonez likely coming back to the Tigers Thursday, the team has a

tough decision to make. It could opt to keep Joyce, but that would

mean sending someone like Clete Thomas to Toledo, who hit his first

major league homer and doubled Sunday and is batting .284 in 40 games.

Joyce, 24, is batting .266 with nine homers and 18 RBIs in 31 games

with Detroit. He went 6-for-17 with three homers in the Tigers' recent

four-game series with Minnesota.