Back with club, Avila makes minor tweaks to swing

TORONTO -- Alex Avila showed up in the Tigers' clubhouse at Rogers Centre, back from the disabled list and a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo with some hitting work from Mud Hens hitting coach Leon Durham. He did not come back with any major makeover at the plate.

"It wasn't like an overhaul or anything," Avila said Tuesday afternoon. "I mean, you'll watch the game and you won't notice anything, just some minor stuff to make sure I get myself in a good position, and that's really it. Hitting is difficult. You try to keep it simple."

Some of it was a mechanical adjustment, Avila said. The rest was about his approach.

"Nothing life-changing," Avila said.

He won't need long to figure out whether it makes a difference. Avila was in Tuesday's starting lineup and is expected to take back his old role as the regular catcher for a while. He had ceded playing time in May and June during his rough start at the plate while manager Jim Leyland tried to see if alternating starts between Avila and Brayan Pena could get Avila going.