Miguel Cabrera ahead of schedule on path back to the Tigers’ lineup.
Detroit Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera—who in 2012 became the first man to win the vaunted “Triple Crown” since Ted Williams—appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from the ankle surgery he had in October.
His right ankle appears to be healing well according to a CT scan performed by Dr. Robert Anderson, as the Detroit Tigers released news of on Wednesday. He has been cleared to begin “non-impact baseball activities” such as hitting and throwing, and will be allowed to begin running up to full speed as his recovery progresses.
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Cabrera’s body had been showing signs of breaking down as early as late September of his Triple Crown season. In the postseason of that year, he was clearly struggling to generate the same bat speed and power he had shown up to that point in the season.
Cabrera agreed to play third base after the Tigers acquired fellow big-bodied slugging first baseman Prince Fielder, after playing first base the whole time previously in Detroit. Earlier in his career, Cabrera was chided by some for his not so sleek body and questionable work habits and some off-field troubles.
That was mostly in his later days in Florida, after he had become the face of the Marlins. He came up as a svelte youngster in 2002, the year the team came back from a 3-2 series deficit against the cursed Chicago Cubs to take the series before moving on to beat the Yankees in six games in the World Series.
Cabrera has by all accounts been a model citizen in Detroit, who has done everything the organization has asked for the betterment of the team. That included the move to third base. He moved back to first base this past season after general manager Dave Dombrowski shipped Fielder to Texas for second baseman Ian Kinsler last offseason.
And Cabrera has been rewarded financially, signing a record eight-year, $248 million contract extension in 2014. Though still great, Cabrera struggled by his standards last season, hitting .313 with just 25 home runs but still drove in 109 runs.
Dombrowski confirmed the earlier press release when asked, citing “around or close to Opening Day” for Cabrera’s expected return to the Tigers’ lineup. The Tigers are an aging squad, which has become heavily invested in pitching, and is now low on quality batting depth behind Cabrera.
The Tigers have to hope that Cabrera returns spry as in his younger days, as he is under contract until 2023.
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