The Tigers weren’t about to make a change for the sake of change.

Brad Ausmus will return next year for a fourth season as Detroit’s manager after the team announced Wednesday it was exercising the 2017 option on his contract. The Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, but a 12-game improvement from 2015 was enough for Ausmus to keep his job.

‘‘I think the team is prepped to compete and improve going forward, and I think Brad had a big part in that,’’ general manager Al Avila said.

Ausmus is 250-234 in Detroit and the Tigers have finished first, last, and second in the AL Central during his tenure. He took over after the 2013 season, when Jim Leyland stepped down. After leading Detroit to its fourth straight division championship in his first year, Ausmus presided over a decline that may have been in some ways inevitable as the Tigers battled age, injuries, and the departure of some key stars.

Detroit made a run at a wild card this year, going 86-75, and Avila said missing the playoffs wasn’t necessarily a reason to switch managers.

‘‘It’s not as simple as, ‘Hey, you didn’t get in, you ought to whack a guy,’ ’’ he said.

Fan sought by police

Major League Baseball has spoken with the Blue Jays about banning cans from the seats at Rogers Centre and wants officials in Canada to prosecute the fan who threw a beer at Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim during the seventh inning of the AL wild-card game on Tuesday night.

Toronto police released a photo of the fan suspected of throwing the can, and the photo was shared by thousands on social media.

‘‘We are working very hard to locate the individual involved,’’ baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said. ‘‘I think from a deterrent perspective, it’s important to follow up and make sure that he’s prosecuted to the extent available.’’

The photo released shows a man with dark hair, a Blue Jays shirt, and a jacket glaring down at Kim.

‘‘Investigators are strongly encouraging this man to seek legal advice and turn himself into police,’’ police said in a statement.

The team said it will ‘‘enact heightened security measures and alcohol policies that will ensure the fan experience and safety of everybody involved.’’

Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, called the fan a ‘‘loon-ball,’’ encouraged him to turn himself in, and suggested he may need counselling.

Murphy improved

Injured Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy won’t say whether he’ll be ready for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Dodgers, although he took ‘‘a step in the right direction’’ Wednesday. Murphy worked out with his teammates, taking live batting practice and grounders, then running the bases. Afterward, he said he ‘‘felt really good.’’ Murphy hasn’t started a game for the Nationals since Sept. 17 because of a strained muscle in his buttocks . . . Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia will have surgery on his troublesome right knee. ‘‘It’s not something that’s of concern or considered serious,’’ GM Brian Cashman said, describing the procedure as a ‘‘cleanup.’’ . . . Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds was fired along with third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius. Miami also announced a $40 million, three-year contract with third baseman Martin Prado, who would have been eligible for free agency, and exercised a $2 million option on outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.