"His name is beginning to pop up in MVP talk, but right fielder Justin Upton says he's more focused on staying on the field than winning awards.

Upton has had each of his three full seasons in the majors cut short due to injury. In 2008 and 2009, he landed on the disabled list with oblique problems. Last year, he missed most of September with a recurrence of a shoulder injury.

"I'm getting more consistent with my workouts, making sure that I keep my shoulder strength up and doing my core exercises," Upton said. "It's more or less maintenance and trying to stay fresh."

He admits that doing less this time of year can be tempting.

"You're tired after games when you're supposed to be lifting," Upton said. "You're tired after games when you're supposed to be doing maintenance work and stuff like that. We're in the middle of this thing and I want to be there until the end, so those are things that you tell yourself to make sure to get in there and do it.

"I want to be in there for all 52 of these games that we have left. That's going to be a big part of me being on the field."

Manager Kirk Gibson says he's noticed Upton has "bought into" the workout regimen more this year. Gibson in the past has suggested Upton has made himself vulnerable to injury by not sticking to routines."