quot;It's a grade three, the worst, with bleeding involved. The intercostal, bone and cartilage were all tugged on. That's tough when all that happens,quot; he said.

Thames, who hit 25 home runs last year and is fourth in homers-per-at-bat among American Leaguers since 2006, was named the primary designated hitter once Gary Sheffield was released.

quot;It's a shame because Marcus is such a good kid and such an important part of our team,quot; Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

Thames started at DH four times and in left field once in the first 12 games, batting .222 with one double, one triple and two RBIs. He missed 10 days during spring training with a lower abdominal muscle strain.

quot;I thought Marcus was not 100 percent from the other thing,quot; Leyland said. quot;But they are not related.quot;

Leyland said left-handed hitting infielder Jeff Larish will get more at-bats at DH. Left fielder Carlos Guillen and right fielder Magglio Ordonez could also be used at DH with Ryan Raburn moving into the corner outfield spots.

quot;It will not bother us that much,quot; Leyland said.

Thames is on the 15-day disabled list, but his time out will exceed that by weeks.

Inge leads in web gems

Brandon Inge leads ESPN's quot;Baseball Tonightquot; web gems with six, putting him one ahead of New York Mets third baseman David Wright for the major league lead.

Inge said his play here Tuesday night was his hardest of the season. He went well behind the bag on the line to field a ball and throw home to catcher Gerald Laird for a bases-loaded forceout.

quot;I had to throw around a runner who was directly in front of the plate,quot; Inge said. quot;It was a lot of luck and skill by my man there catching.quot;

Granderson's allergies

Center fielder Curtis Granderson has tried many allergy medicines and remedies, and has been particularly hard hit with watery eyes and nasal congestion here.

quot;One allergy shot won't help because I'm allergic to so many things,quot; Granderson said.