Melky Cabrera not expected to return to Blue Jays in 2013
By Brad Rowland
During the disastrous 57-70 season that the Toronto Blue Jays have put together, there have been many disappointments. With that said, one of the bigger letdowns has come from outfielder Melky Cabrera, and there is now buzz that Cabrera will be shelved for the duration of the regular season.
Barry Davis of Canada’s SportsNet snuck this bit of information into a Tweet on Thursday:
Gibbons doesn't expect Morrow or Cabrera to play again this yr. Delabar, McGowan, Bautista, Rasmus and Izturis are expected back. #bluejays
— Barry Davis (@BarryDavis_) August 22, 2013
Cabrera’s diagnosed injury is a sprained knee, but there could be additional “smoke” in the situation (read: he isn’t very good at baseball), as that doesn’t seem like the type of injury that would end a season with a disabled list stint that began on August 2nd.
Frankly, he has been a bit of a disaster in the batter’s box this season, posting a .279/.322/.360 slash line for a less-than-stellar .682 OPS and 3 home runs in 372 plate appearances. Injuries can be attributed for a bit of the downturn, but it can’t be ignored that Melky was suspended for PED’s in the middle of the 2012 season, where he had a .906 OPS pre-suspension, and seemingly hasn’t recovered.
It is probably too early to speculate on Cabrera’s definitive role with the Blue Jays next season, but he is owed $8 million for the 2014 campaign. The Blue Jays are going to be heading back to the drawing board to evaluate this ugly mess of a season, and Cabrera’s performance (and future salary) will surely be a topic of conversation.