DETROIT — At long last, the Justin Upton that the Detroit Tigers were waiting for has arrived. After two solid months of strikeouts and more strikeouts, the left fielder has broken out — or settled, rather — into the hitter he was expected to be. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect with J.D. Martinez unable to contribute for the next 4-6 weeks.
Upton’s struggles have been evident, and by his own admission he hasn’t been seeing the ball well for much of the season. Already a high strikeout hitter, Upton led the majors in strikeouts for the first month and a half.