DETROIT -- Alex Avila is a tough player but even he couldn't tough it out anymore.
Before Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals, the Tigers placed Avila on the 15-day disabled list because of a loose body in his left knee and recalled catcher Bryan Holaday from Triple-A Toledo.
"It affects me getting out of a chair," Avila said. "It's been pretty painful for a while, for the past few weeks. Some days it's been difficult just to walk around and stuff like that, so I knew it was probably something a little more serious and basically I've been playing with it, some days I'm not sure how, but according to the doctor it wouldn't be smart, I could probably do some more damage, so we're going to take care of it."
The odd thing is Avila can't pinpoint when the problem occurred.
"Was talking with the doctor yesterday and Kevin (Rand, head athletic trainer), trying to think if there was a time where I injured it during the season," Avila said. "It's been bothering me pretty bad for a few weeks. But I can't think of a time where I injured it. That's kind of the mystery about it. Obviously it's just kind of something that developed."
The move came one day after Avila was scratched with a right forearm contusion, which is all Tigers manager Brad Ausmus thought was bothering him.
"I hadn't heard anything about the knee," Ausmus said. "Then Kevin Rand told me that the knee had been bothering him from time to time, and over time it had gotten progressively worse, so they were just going to run him to get an MRI."
The MRI revealed the loose body, which is usually a piece of bone.
Normally this would require arthroscopic knee surgery, which can take four to eight weeks of recovery time.
The Tigers were sending the MRI results to a specialist to examine.
"We don't know any type of timetable really," Avila said. "We're trying to basically figure out the course of action right now. But my expectation and my hope would be to be back and ready to go, good as new, for the second half. That would be my hope and I think that's a pretty realistic possibility."
Although Avila is batting just .200 with two home runs and eight RBI, he has an on-base percentage of .342.
Certainly Avila's defense will be missed.
"It stings a lot, I would say," Ausmus said. "He's really the starting catcher, he's a left-handed bat in a right-handed lineup, and he's got a ton of experience behind the plate."
In the interim, James McCann will get the bulk of the playing time.
But Holaday, who was with the Tigers all of last season and this spring, is very familiar with the entire staff.
"It's kind of a seamless transition that way," Ausmus said.
Holaday was batting .230 with three doubles, a home run and nine RBI in 18 games with the Toledo Mud Hens.
