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| Marcus Thames signed a minor league contract with the Yankees earlier this month. Should he not make the big league roster, he can opt out and become a free agent, according to The Journal News. |
Our View: Thames has blasted double-digit homers in each of the last four seasons, and that power would make him an intriguing option off the bench. His main competition is Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann.
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| The Yankees have signed Marcus Thames to a non-roster contract, according to Sports Illustrated. |
Our View: Thames, who has decent power, would seem to have a pretty good chance of making New York's roster as a right-handed bat off the bench. He actually lands in a pretty good situation with the Yankees; of their three outfield spots and designated hitter gig, Curtis Granderson in center field is really the only sure thing as of now. Thames will compete for at-bats with the likes of Randy Winn, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Nick Johnson.
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| The Yankees will likely sign either Marcus Thames, Jonny Gomes or Rocco Baldelli for "low dollars" in the coming weeks, according to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman. |
Our View: The Yankees really are sticking with this "saving money" thing, huh? That is, of course, until people realize next June or July they are giving far-too-many at-bats to both Randy Winn and Brett Gardner. The Yanks' next breaking of the bank is never too far away.
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| Marcus Thames is believed to be on the Royals' radar, according to FOX Sports. |
Our View: The slugger has also garnered interest from Cleveland and Toronto. The Royals covet a power-hitting outfielder and DH to split time with Jose Guillen, who has a poor track record with durability. Thames blasted a career-best 26 homers with the Tigers in 2006.
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| Marcus Thames is drawing interest from both the Indians and the Blue Jays, according to Fox Sports. |
Our View: Both teams are lacking left fielders and are deficient in right-handed power, Thames' specialties. He's never made more than 400 plate appearances in a season, however, and is a below average fielder, so his offers will likely not be all that impressive.
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| Marcus Thames has been removed from the Tigers' 40-man roster, and will become a free agent, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. |
Our View: Thames hit .252 to go along with 13 home runs in a part-time role for the Tigers last season. Expect him to stay in the American League.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-3 with an RBI in tonight's 6-4 loss to Toronto at Comerica Park. He hit a single and a double. |
Our View: Thames has two hits in each of his last two games, but has not crushed a homer since August 12 (at Boston).
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI in tonight's 6-5 loss at Boston. |
Our View: Thames was only batting .200 this month heading into tonight's game, and was in need of a solid performance.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-4 with a home run and RBI on Saturday, but unfortunately that would be the only Tigers run, as they fell 2-1 in Yankee Stadium. |
Our View: Thames is batting .286, and how has ten home runs. He is a good option at outfield in AL-only leagues.
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| Marcus Thames led the Tigers offensively in tonight's 5-1 win over Cleveland at Comerica Park, as he went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer off Joe Smith. |
Our View: The slugger has a homer in four of his last six games, and should remain a solid source for power if fantasy owners can handle his low batting average.
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-3 with a solo homer off Gil Meche in tonight's 4-3 loss to the Royals at Comerica Park. |
Our View: Thames hit a homer in two of his last three games, and should remain a good source for power if fantasy owners can deal with his high number of strikeouts.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Friday's 10-4 win over the Brewers at Comerica Park. |
Our View: Thames now has five homers this month, and should remain a good source for power in AL-only leagues. He has not struck out in his last two games as well.
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in Thursday's 6-3 win at St. Louis. |
Our View: Thames collected his third homer of June, and should continue to be a nice source for power in AL-only leagues as long as he stays healthy. He is hitting .313 (10-for-32) so far this month as well.
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBI in Saturday's 9-3 loss at Pittsburgh. |
Our View: Thames started the game in left field. The slugger has two homers over eight games since coming off the DL, and is worth targeting if you need help in the power department in AL-only leagues.
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-1 with a solo homer and recorded the Tigers' lone RBI in Monday's 6-1 loss at Chicago in the nightcap of their doubleheader. Thames was used as a pinch-hitter. |
Our View: Thames was activated from the DL today following his recovery from a strained ribcage, and it is encouraging to see him hit his first homer of the season. He crushed 25 homers in 2008, and the slugger is worth targeting for AL-only leagues if you are in need of power.
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| Marcus Thames has been activated from the DL following his recovery from a strained ribcage, according to the Associated Press. Jeff Larish was optioned to Triple-A Toledo as the adjoining move. |
Our View: Thames launched 25 homers last season, and is worth consideration if you need help in the power department in AL-only leagues.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-5 with a home run during his rehab game for Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday. |
Our View: Jim Leyland could get his DH back as early as tomorrow.
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| Marcus Thames struck out three times in the second game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo, according to the Detroit News. Manager Jim Leyland said, "Thames needs to no punch out three times. Swing the bat, hit the ball hard."
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Our View: Thames is 2-for-13 over three rehab games. He could return to the Tigers at some point next week, and is worth stashing in deeper leagues based on his power potential.
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| Marcus Thames is progressing in his recovery from a strained ribcage, according to MLive.com. He is expected to resume batting practice at some point this week. |
Our View: The slugger is expected to start a rehab assignment soon, and could return to Detroit within two weeks. His fantasy value will remain limited as a reserve though.
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| Marcus Thames is eligible to come off the DL this week, but is still ailing with his strained ribcage, according to MLive.com. |
Our View: Thames is coming along, and could begin running and hitting by May 14. He could be fit to return to Detroit by early June.
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| Marcus Thames suffered a strained oblique during batting practice Tuesday and is headed for the 15-day DL, according to the Detroit Free Press. Ryan Rayburn will be recalled from Triple-A to replace him on the roster. |
Our View: Thames has solid power, but is yet to hit a homer over 18 at-bats this season. Fantasy owners will manage fine while he is on the shelf.
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| Following the release of Gary Sheffield, Marcus Thames will get the chance to be the Tigers full-time DH in 2009, according to the Detroit Free Press. |
Our View: Thames has a reputation of struggling against right-handed pitchers, but he showed some improvement last season. Over the last three seasons, he has homered once in every 13.5 at-bats, meaning he should certainly be considered by fantasy owners looking to amp up their home run total. However, he was held to a .241 batting average last season.
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| Marcus Thames is on the Tigers' trading block, according to the Detroit Free Press. |
Our View: Thames has solid power as he crushed 25 homers over 316 at-bats in 2008. He is currently a reserve outfielder with Detroit, but is still worth targeting in deeper mixed leagues, namely in case he is dealt and sees regular playing time with another club.
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| Marcus Thames had a tough day at the plate in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Red Sox, as he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. |
Our View: Thames is not going to hit for a solid average, and the reserve outfielder holds fantasy value strictly as a source for power. He crushed 25 homers over 316 at-bats in 2008.
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| Marcus Thames returned to the Tigers' lineup following his recovery from a strained abdominal muscle, according to the Detroit News. He had a double and a single over two at-bats in his first game back. |
Our View: Thames should be fine for the start of the season. Thames should remain a solid option for power for AL-only leagues, despite serving as a reserve outfielder.
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| Marcus Thames took batting practice for the first time Tuesday since straining an abdominal muscle a week ago, according to the Detroit News. |
Our View: Barring a setback, the slugger could be back in action by the weekend.
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| Updating a previous report, Marcus Thames will miss about a week with the strained oblique he suffered in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, according to The Detroit News. |
Our View: This doesn't sound too serious, but oblique injuries tend to be nagging ones. If he can recover completely, Thames is a decent power option in AL-only leagues.
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| Marcus Thames suffered a strained oblique in Tuesday's spring game against the Cardinals. According to MLB.com, he injured himself attempting a diving catch. He is considered day-to-day as he meets with team doctors. |
Our View: Thames could be a decent fantasy option, especially in AL-only leagues. The power is there, but he needs to get his average up if he wants to see consistent playing time.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-4 with a run scored Tuesday in the Tigers' 7-5 victory over the Venezuela team. |
Our View: Thames will likely be the Tigers' starting left fielder come Opening Day, but he needs to hit for a better average and become more of a well-rounded run-producer.
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| Lynn Henning of the Detroit News expects the Tigers to make a move before the start of he season, and he mentioned Marcus Thames as a possible trade candidate. |
Our View: Thames blasted 25 homers over 316 at-bats last season, and he could be a solid source for power in 2009 if he gets regular at-bats, potentially another club.
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| Marcus Thames has re-signed a one-year deal with the Tigers, according to the Associated Press. Financial terms were not disclosed. |
Our View: Thames crushed 25 homers last season on only 316 at-bats. Manager Jim Leyland is high on Thames and intends to give him more playing time in 2009, meaning he should be a solid source for power in fantasy leagues, with a shot to challenge 30-35 homers.
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| Detroit has made Marcus Thames available on the trade market, but interest in him has been surprisingly mild thus far, according to the Detroit Free Press. |
Our View: Thames could probably make a run at 40 home runs in a season if he were to see more consistent playing time with a team that plays in a hitter-friendly ballpark. He hit .241 last season with 25 home runs last season in 316 at-bats.
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| Manager Jim Leyland is high on Marcus Thames for 2009, according to the Detroit Free Press. Leyland said, "Marcus Thames will be a very valuable player for us. Thames will get playing time. We'll find plenty of playing time for Marcus. I'm so fond of Marcus Thames and what he's done."
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Our View: Thames blasted 25 homers on only 316 at-bats this season, and looks to make a bigger impact in the power department in 2009, going by Leyland's plans for him.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, his 25th home run of the season, on Sunday night against the White Sox. |
Our View: For the second time in three seasons Thames has recorded 25 home runs despite being held to 348 and 292 at-bats in those two seasons. Few are better at taking hurlers deep, but with a .240 career average and a .302 OBP, Thames can clearly be pitched to.
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| Marcus Thames hit his 23rd and 24th home runs of the season on Friday against the Twins. Both shots came off of Francisco Liriano and were the only two runs the Tigers scored all night. |
Our View: Thames has 24 home runs in 277 at bats. He is your typical all-or-nothing hitter. He has just 64 hits on the season to go with a .287 OBP and 84 strikeouts.
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| Marcus Thames returned to the lineup Friday after missing five games with a sore shoulder, according to the AP. |
Our View: Thames had a single in four at-bats in the loss to the O's.
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| Marcus Thames's has recieved a cortisone shot in his sore shoulder. Manager Jim Leyland expects him to return by the end of the week, reports the Detroit Free Press. |
Our View: Thames injured his shoulder diving for a ball last week.
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| Marcus Thames could be out for a while with a sore shoulder, according to MLive.com. "This could be a dangerous one, as far as time, because this time of year I can't have guys sitting around," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. |
Our View: That sounds an awful lot like, "He's headed for the DL." Nothing is official, of course, but keep an eye on his status for now.
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| Marcus Thames hit his 21st home run of the season on Friday night, a 2-run blast off of Dallas Braden. |
Our View: That's 21 home runs in 233 AB which puts Thames on a pace that would produce 30 home runs in less than 400 AB which would be quite a campaign for a guy who wasn't expected to start when the year began.
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| Marcus Thames got the start on Sunday and, yes, he hit another home run. It was his only hit of the game. |
Our View: Thames remains one of the more frustrating players to own in fantasy leagues. He has 20 home runs in 206 at-bats but is still not an everyday starter.
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| Marcus Thames hit his 18th home run tonight off of Orioles starter Garrett Olson. Thames finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. |
Our View: Thames is hitting bombs at a pretty incredible rate. However, he only starts against lefties and is only occasionally used against righties. If your roster is large enough, he is worth carrying for the damage he does against southpaws.
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| Marcus Thames didn't go deep on Thursday but he did produce three hits to push his average up to .282 for the Tigers. |
Our View: .282 and 17 home runs from a guy who hit .242 with 18 long balls last season, not bad production huh? When Magglio Ordonez returns to the lineup it will be interesting to see how many AB Thames continues to pick up. Perhaps the Tigers will send Matt Joyce back down to keep Thames in the lineup, though Joyce has two home runs and five hits the past two days.
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| Marcus Thames got another start and hit another home run on Tuesday for the Tigers. He added a double, three RBI and two runs scored. |
Our View: Thames is a good play while Magglio Ordonez is on the DL. He is hitting one home run every 10 at-bats, a pace that would be nearly impossible to sustain.
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| Marcus Thames hit a game winning sacrafice fly in the 15th inning of Sunday's 2-1 victory. |
Our View: What should have been a memorable night for Thames was very forgettable. He went 0-for-6 with three whiffs.
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| Marcus Thames went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Minnesota. He started the game at first base. |
Our View: Thames has homered in back-to-back games, and has eight hits over his last four outings. Keep him active in your lineups while he is hot.
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| Marcus Thames went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Rockies. |
Our View: He started the game in left field. That was his fifth multi-hit game in June, and he is hitting .313 in the month (21-for-67). He is still available in some leagues, and is worth targeting if you need help in your outfield.
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| Marcus Thames is in the starting lineup tonight despite Gary Sheffield's return. |
Our View: Nine of Thames' last 10 hits have been homers. It's apparent that Jim Leyland knows to ride a hot streak when he sees one.
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| All he does is hit homers. Marcus Thames didn't even start Saturday, but he entered the game later and connected on his 14th homer of the year in the seventh inning. |
Our View: Thames has nine homers this month, and nine of his last 10 hits have left the yard.
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| Marcus Thames went deep twice off of Tim Lincecum on his way to three RBI for the Tigers in their interleague matchup with the Giants. |
Our View: Amazingly, Thames has now produced home runs on each of his last seven hits. That's right, he hasn't had a hit other than a home run since June 4, a span of 29 AB. Matt Joyce owners, well, don't expect him to be recalled any point soon with the way that Thames is hitting.
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| Marcus Thames went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's close 5-4 win over the Dodgers. |
Our View: That was his 10th homer of the season, and he has now hit one in three straight games, and in four of his last five.
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| The work of Justin Verlander was good enough for the win, but Detroit brought the offense as well, putting a 5-1 win on the Chicago White Sox. Outfielder Marcus Thames was the man of the hour, going 1-for-3 with ihs seventh home run of the season to total three RBIs. |
Our View: Thames left May after hiting .293 for the month, hoping to spark a new level of offense for the weeks ahead. Thus far it has not happened in June, hitting just .211 coming into tonight
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| Marcus Thames hit a pair of two-run homers in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Angels. Both of the bombs came off lefty Joe Saunders, and all five of Thames' homers this season have been off of southpaws. |
Our View: Thames is a solid starter in weeks where the Tigers face a lot of lefties, but he's pretty useless otherwise.
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| Marcus Thames will start in right field for the Tigers today, according to the Detroit Free Press. Magglio Ordonez is playing DH in place of the injured Gary Sheffield. |
Our View: He is 5-for-30 over 12 games, with one homer and three RBI. He can hit for power, and the team is facing converted reliever Scott Feldman of Texas. He is worth a look if you really need help in your outfield.
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| Marcus Thames will start in left field against Boston today, according to the Boston Globe. He is only hitting .200 over 10 at-bats, but has one homer and two RBI over three games. He will bat ninth in the order. |
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| Marcus Thames could be on the Mets' radar, according to the AP. The Mets have reportedly scouted Thames extensively, and they could offer solid bullpen help to a Tigers team that is going to begin the season without Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. This is only speculation at this point, but this deal would be good for Thames, who ranks as a top backup with the Tigers' right now. |
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| Marcus Thames was held out of Tuesday's game due to a strained pectoral muscle. However, Thames said he felt fine and was ready to play, according to the AP. At this point, we'll take him at his word and assume he'll back in the next day or two. |
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| The Mets have expressed interest in acquiring Marcus Thames from the Tigers, according to the Detroit Free Press. The trouble is that manager Jim Leyland is attached to Thames, which may make a deal unlikely anytime soon. The Mets could offer up Joe Smith, Jorge Sosa or Matt Wise to help shore up the Tigers bullpen. |
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| Marcus Thames was held out of Saturday's lineup following an 0-for-5 game Friday with three strikeouts. He hit just .222 in August. |
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| Marcus Thames came off the DL Thursday and went 2-for-4 against Tampa Bay. He's returning from a strained left hamstring. |
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| Marcus Thames was 1-for-4 Tuesday in his first rehab game. Recovering from a strained left hamstring, Thames could come off the disabled list as soon as Thursday. |
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| Marcus Thames will start a rehab assignment on Tuesday and should be back in the Tigers lineup by Thursday if all goes according to plan. "My leg feels good," he told the Detroit Free Press. Thames has been on the disabled list for almost three weeks with a pulled left hamstring. |
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| Marcus Thames ran the bases Saturday for the first time since injuring his left hamstring July 19 and is expected to run again Sunday, according to the Detroit News. "I got up to about 80-85 percent," Thames said. "I'm going to be going down to do a rehab assignment starting Tuesday. I don't know (how long) -- whenever I start feeling better. Hopefully it will go good." Once Thames begins his rehab assignment, we should get a better idea as to when he'll be ready to return. |
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| Marcus Thames was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. According to the Detroit Free Press, Thames pulled his left hamstring making a diving catch against the Twins on Wednesday night. Timo Perez was called up from Triple-A to replace him on the roster and started in left field on Thursday. |
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| Marcus Thames left Wednesday's game after suffering a hamstring injury while making a catch in the eighth inning, the AP reports. His status for Thursday's series finale isn't clear yet. |
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| Marcus Thames started his second game in a row in place of Sean Casey at first base on Thursday, and it could be a continuing trend. “It’s an attempt to get some production in the lineup,” manager Jim Leyland told the Detroit News. “The fact of the matter is that Casey hasn’t produced anything.” Thames has four more homers and two more RBI than Casey in 90 fewer at-bats. |
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| Marcus Thames was able to start Wednesday despite his bruised right hand, the Tigers official site reports. He didn't have much success in the game, however, striking out in all three of his plate appearances. |
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| Marcus Thames got hit on the hand by a Justin Speier pitch in the seventh inning Tuesday, the Detroit Free Press reports. He had a bandage on the hand after the game, though he did bat in the ninth; it's not clear if he'll be available against Chicago Wednesday. |
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| Marcus Thames made his first major league start at first base Wednesday, according to the AP. Thames has played 247 career games in the outfield. |
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| Marcus Thames sat out Saturday's game, resting his right knee, the Tigers official site reports. Thames, who's battling inflammation in the knee, was able to do some work at first base. |
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| Marcus Thames had his knee checked out by doctors this week but no structural damage was found, the Tigers official site reports. Thames was experiencing what Jim Leyland called a "pinch" in his knee, and he hasn't played in a game since Sunday. Leyland doesn't expect the absence to set Thames back in his adjustment to playing first base. |
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| The Tigers are giving Marcus Thames time at first base in spring games, according to the Detroit Free Press. If he can prove he can handle fist base, he should be able to get more at-bats during the regular season. The addition of Gary Sheffield has made the outfield crowded in Detroit. |
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| The Tigers and Orioles tried unsuccessfully to execute a three-way deal involving Marcus Thames this week, according to the Detroit Free Press. Baltimore has significant interest in Thames but couldn't produce the left-handed hitter the Tigers wanted in return. The Tigers have no interest in Jay Gibbons, and young star Nick Markakis obviously isn't available.
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| The status of Marcus Thames for tonight's game against the Yankees is uncertain, as he continues to battle the flu, according to the Detroit News. Because of Thames' uncertain status, the Tigers have yet to release their lineup for tonight's contest. |
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| Marcus Thames was not with the Tigers Friday, because he's battling a throat infection, according to the Detroit Free Press. It's not clear if he will play Saturday, but he should be fine for the postseason. |
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