SEATTLE -- Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez has started baseball activity a little sooner than expected.
Martinez, who went on the 10-day disabled list on Friday after being hospitalized with an accelerated heartbeat, began hitting off a tee on Wednesday, according to manager Brad Ausmus.
Martinez, who was expected to rest for seven days while wearing a heart monitor before he could resume workouts, was cleared for "light, very light cardio" activity, Ausmus said. Martinez went to Comerica Park and began hitting.
Martinez is eligible to return from the DL at the start of the next homestand on Tuesday. The Tigers won't be sure if he's ready until early next week, since he has to wear a heart monitor until then, but Martinez beginning activity now without issue trends in that direction.
Ausmus had been using Martinez's DH slot to rotate ailing Tigers off the field for a day while keeping their bats in the lineup. However, John Hicks served as the DH for the third consecutive game in Thursday's series finale against the Mariners.
Quick hits
• According to Tigers media relations and Elias Sports Bureau, Wednesday's loss marked the first time in 17 years that the Tigers dropped a game in which their starting pitcher -- Justin Verlander -- took a perfect game into the sixth inning. Justin Thompson was the last, also against Seattle, having retired the first 18 he faced on May 12, 1998, at Tiger Stadium. Thompson took a 2-1 lead into the ninth before a three-run Mariners rally saddled him with the loss. The last such instance for any Major League team happened on Opening Day this season, when Giants ace Madison Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters in an eventual loss to the D-backs.
• Right-hander Shane Greene, who took the loss in relief on Wednesday, shaved his head on Thursday, removing the faux-hawk hairstyle he had been sporting this season. A local barber visited the Tigers' clubhouse early Thursday afternoon, allowing players to trim their look or -- in Greene's case -- try for a clean slate.