Detroit Tigers: Steven Moya Makes Anthony Gose Expendable

Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus moved Justin Upton to center field and started Steven Moya in left field. If this lineup sticks, Anthony Gose could be expendable.

Detroit Tigers fans, and frankly baseball fans and observers in general, weren’t used to seeing Justin Upton play center field before Thursday’s game in Baltimore.

Upton had never played the position at the Major League level before, but did well against the Orioles. You would not have known that the last time he played the position was in 2007 with Double-A Mobile of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system. The 28-year-old handled every ball hit his way and generally looked solid defensively.

That display, coupled with Steven Moya’s encouraging 2016 debut (both at the plate and in left field) could potentially see Ausmus stick with the outfield grouping until Cameron Maybin returns from his rehab stint in Toledo.

Per the Tigers’ official Twitter account, the manager is at least going with the same outfield grouping for a second consecutive game. The team’s Twitter account announced that Moya will once again start in left field. Because of this, Upton will start in center field for the second contest of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.