Alex Avila to miss playing time due to mild concussion

DETROIT--Alex Avila was taken out Friday night's game against the Boston Red Sox when David Ortiz swung at a 2-1 pitch in the eighth inning, and the backswing clipped Avila. The hit stunned the Tigers catcher to the point where he fell back onto the ground and needed help getting to his feet.

"Right now, we're not really sure on the status," Ausmus said. "They're calling it a mild concussion, mild to the extent that they think he'll be fine tomorrow. That being said, he won't play tomorrow, regardless. But they do think he's going to be fine tomorrow."

The Tigers' living hit magnet was given a test by head athletic trainer Kevin Rand, which he failed when he got one question wrong. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus knows the signs of a concussion first hand from being a former catcher and he wasn't taking the chance. (MLB.com video)

He didn't get one right, I didn't like that." Ausmus said. "When I had a concussion, I remember being asked particulars about the game and remembering I had to look at the scoreboard to figure out what the count was, and look in the dugout to figure out who we were playing."

Avila was replaced by backup catcher Bryan Holaday and Ortiz then grounded out. However, in his next at-bat, Holaday his first career triple on an 0-1 sinker that would have been a double except the ball bounced off the small protruding cement at the base of the right center field wall.

Justin Verlander took the opportunity to poke a little bit of fun at his teammate who was breathing a little heavy once safely at third base. (MLB.com video) With Avila out of commission for the Tigers on Saturday, Holaday will more than likely get the start behind the plate as Max Scherzer takes the mound for game two of a three-game series against the Red Sox.