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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Canha is "very available" for Thursday's game against the Guardians, despite the fact that he's been contending with left hip discomfort of late, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "It's not a punishment at all, it's [how] these other guys are swinging the bat," Hinch said of Canha's status. "I think Mark's best contribution today will be off the bench."
Canha is out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game, and while the hip issue initially looked to be at least part of the reason why he was on the bench, Hinch's comments seemed to suggest that it's more of a result of Canha's poor performance of late. Heading into Thursday's contest, Canha is hitting just .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit over his last 15 games, though it's unclear to what extent playing through the hip injury might have factored into his struggles. Regardless, Zach McKinstry has been the main beneficiary of Canha's slump, as the lefty-hitting McKinstry will stay in the lineup for a fifth straight game. The two could end up being deployed in a de facto platoon, making the right-handed-hitting Canha a candidate to re-enter the lineup Friday and Saturday, when the Tigers are tentatively scheduled to face Dodgers lefties Justin Wrobleski and James Paxton.
