MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Tigers' offense is rolling, that much is clear. Could this be when Justin Upton begins to get in on the action?

After a prolonged stretch of scuffling at the plate, the Tigers outfielder recorded his third multihit game of the year in Friday’s 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins and his first since the sixth game of the season.

Upton, who inked a lucrative six-year, $132.75 million deal with the Tigers as a free agent this offseason, began Friday’s game with a line-drive single in the first inning and followed up with another single in his next at-bat against Twins pitcher Phil Hughes. He hit another line drive to center in the ninth inning to finish 3-for-5 for the night.

"I've hit quite a fee balls hard the past few days and I'm squaring a few balls up," Upton said. "Those balls landed today, which is good to see."

The trio of base hits might not seem earth-shattering -- particularly compared to the way the rest of the Tigers' bats are cranking right now -- but it has to feel like a relief for the 28-year-old Norfolk, Virginia, native. For the past few weeks, Upton has struggled consistently, so much so that manager Brad Ausmus -- who was initially reluctant to move him out of the No. 2 spot -- finally relented and tweaked the lineup earlier this week, dropping Upton to the five-hole and promoting J.D. Martinez in his place.

The move paid immediate dividends for Martinez; could the past two games reflect a delayed response from Upton? Maybe the move relieved Upton of some pressure and scrutiny. Then again, maybe the timing is merely coincidental for a player who was due to start performing as expected. Either way, it might alleviate some pressure going forward.

"He can exhale a little bit," Ausmus said.

Upton, who also recorded a hit in Thursday’s win over the Oakland A’s, was acquired by Detroit in part because of the consistent production he’s had over the past decade. The former first overall draft pick boasts a career stat line of .270/.349/.470.

Ausmus has been steadfast in insisting it was only a matter of time for Upton. If Friday was indeed a harbinger of things to come, the Tigers, with 33 runs over the past five games, are in good shape offensively.