Detroit Tigers icon Miguel Cabrera, his ailing right knee and an uncertain future
Miguel Cabrera doesn’t like to talk about his right knee.
On Thursday, however, the 39-year-old did not hesitate to discuss the subject. A few reporters approached Cabrera’s locker in the clubhouse after Detroit The Tigers DH sat out Wednesday’s series finale in Minneapolis. To understand what happened, the 20-year MLB veteran — a lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame — met them in the middle to talk about his health.
There is a chance that Cabrera will play his final season.
He is uncertain about his status for 2023.
“I’m going to talk to my agent, I’m going to talk to GM (general manager Al Avila), I’m going to talk to everybody to see what’s going to be the plan for next year,” Cabrera said. “Right now we’re focused on today. We’ll go day by day and see what happens. I’m not thinking about next year right now. I’m thinking about trying to finish this year and we’ll see.”
3,000 HITS: What makes Miguel Cabrera one of the greatest hitters of all time? Just ask the pitchers he faced
500 HOMERS: How Miguel Cabrera’s epic 500-homer journey into history began in Venezuela
Cabrera is owed $32 million by the Tigers for next season. He has spoken several times over the past two seasons about his goal of winning a World Series with the Tigers and his plan to retire after the conclusion of his contract, but this time he would not commit to 2023.
“I’m not feeling well right now,” Cabrera said. “I’m trying to do what I can to go out there and play, but I’m not really feeling well right now.”
It was always a matter of “when,” not “if,” for the two-time MVP and his ailing right knee. He was diagnosed with a chronic right knee injury in 2019, but following the recommendation of four specialists, including sports doctor Dr. James Andrews, he did not choose surgery.
Cabrera’s knee pain would only get worse with time.
Everyone knew that.
“It’s a chronic thing where he’s going to have to live with it and through treatment you’re going to have to put him on the field,” Avila said in June 2019. “The bad news is obviously it’s going to get worse over time . It’s on him to stay in good shape and it’s on us to make sure we give him proper treatment and rest. It’s a combination. If you keep doing that, we should be able to keep him productive on pitch for the rest of his contract, so that’s our expectation and hope.”
Now is the time to catch up with Cabrera, the third player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and 600 doubles, joining Albert Pujols (who will play his final season in 2022) and the late Hank Aaron.
The tread is worn thin on the tires.
“The last three weeks it’s hurt more,” Cabrera said. “I’ve had that problem for the last three or four years. Right now I’m trying to get more training. I had to deal with it.”
MIGGY GETS PERSONAL: Miguel Cabrera, one hit away from 3,000: ‘I think I can cry’
ANOTHER ASG: Miguel Cabrera honored with special place in All-Star Game: ‘It means a lot’
The 12-time All-Star, including an “All-Star Legends Selection” for the 2022 edition of the Midsummer Classic, posted a .308 batting average across 70 games through July 6, just before being named to the squad despite only seven doubles and three home runs.
Since then, Cabrera has hit .132 with two doubles and a home run over 20 games. Overall, he has a .271 average with nine doubles, four homers, 36 RBIs, 23 walks and 82 strikeouts in 90 games.
Often Cabrera takes funky swings and can’t rotate his right knee while trying to attack pitches in the batter’s box. Performing without a healthy back knee means Cabrera, who averaged 33 homers per season from 2004-16, unable to generate power.
“I feel it when I swing,” Cabrera said. “When you see me hitting a lot of ground balls to my right side, it’s because of the pain… I’m going to try to do more exercises to get my quad or my (hamstring) or whatever is around my knee stronger . We’ll see what happens.”
MIGGY TRAINING? Miguel Cabrera wants to coach for the Tigers when his career ends
The Tigers are taking a proactive approach to the situation, with Cabrera and manager AJ Hinch working together to determine his playing time for the remainder of the season.
Cabrera and Hinch haven’t talked about 2023, but they have mapped out the current home stretch at Comerica Park, which runs from Aug. 4-11 with a day off on Monday. The Tigers are playing Tampa Bay Rays through Sunday, then Cleveland Guardians from Tuesday-Thursday. The Tigers will reevaluate Cabrera’s health before preparing his schedule for the second half of August.
“He’s hurting,” Hinch said. “He’s not moving great. He’s playing through the pain.”
For now, Cabrera is scheduled to serve as the Tigers’ designated hitter every other day, and when he’s not in the starting lineup, he’ll be available to pinch-hit. The Tigers, as they have for several years, will monitor his activity on the basepaths.
For now, the Tigers hope Cabrera can avoid the injury list.
He has been placed on the disabled list once — a 10-day layoff in April 2021 due to a left biceps strain — since a ruptured left biceps tendon in June 2018 sent him to the 60-day disabled list and ended his season.
“I don’t necessarily think that’s the solution,” Hinch said. “If this continues later this month, I think we’ll have to consider it. But he can give us what he’s got.”
Cabrera loves to play in games, exemplified by his playful personality on the field, and spent the 2020 campaign begging the organization to let him return to first base, which Hinch—unlike former manager Ron Gardenhire—allowed in 44 games of his 130 games last season.
But Cabrera hasn’t operated at first base in 2022. He gladly relinquished his infield spot to 22-year-old rookie Spencer Torkelson, who proudly took the field as the Tigers’ Opening Day first baseman. The Tigers demoted Torkelson to Triple-A Toledo in mid-July, but when that happened, Cabrera did not ask to return to first base.
He also didn’t struggle to lose playing time in the final two months of this season due to his lingering knee injury. He said he is willing to give up some of his at-bats to younger players so the Tigers can “see what we have for next year.”
“I don’t want to hurt the team,” Cabrera said. “I don’t want to put myself in a bad position. I’m not performing so I’m okay with that. I understand that. It’s always a problem I’ve had with my knee so it’s okay. I love this team .I don’t want to hurt this team.
“You have to understand your body. I understand my body and my position on this team. I’m still going to work and every time they give me a chance to play I’m going to go out there and do my job. That’s the bottom line and it’s that which matters.”
All signs point to the end being near for Cabrera, one of the greatest players ever to wear the old English “D” on his chest. When baseball’s latest Triple Crown winner will decide to hang up his cleats remains a mystery.
But Cabrera will eventually play his last game.
Maybe faster than expected.
“I think it’s a big step for him and also a big step for any athlete who starts talking about the physical inability to do some things,” Hinch said. “I wouldn’t say it raised the alarm, but it certainly made it a more open topic that we’ve been talking about behind closed doors for a while.
“I hate that he’s not feeling well. He’s been through so much pain in his career that we probably can’t even fathom, but this time I think it convinced him to talk about it openly and make sure that we’re doing the right thing.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera not guaranteed to play in 2023