Joyce is AL's player of the week

7/16/2008

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. Thomas 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 recent series with Minnesota.