The Tigers will activate first baseman/DH Miguel Cabrera from the 10-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, the team announced. Infielder Zack Short has already been optioned to the alternate training site to make room for Cabrera’s return. Cabrera hit the IL on April 11 due to a left bicep strain, so the veteran slugger will be back after only a few days’ beyond the 10-day minimum.
Cabrera didn’t hit much over his first 27 plate appearances, batting only .125/.222/.292 with one home run. While the veteran slugger is a few years removed from his All-Star prime, his pursuit of both the 500-homer plateau and the 3000-hit plateau will draw attention throughout the season, assuming good health and assuming Cabrera can continue even his league-average offensive production from 2017-20. Cabrera currently sits at 488 home runs and 2869 career hits.
While Short is slightly behind Cabrera on the all-time hits list, Short at least joined the party when he cracked a single in Friday’s game for his first Major League hit. Short appeared in two games with Detroit, marking his first Major League action since being a 17th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2016 draft. The 25-year-old infielder has shown a knack for getting on base during his time in the minors (career .241/.377/.405 slash line over 1588 PA) and he can also play shortstop and both second base and third base.
Really want to see him get 3k hits, 500 HRs and 1800 RBI for his career but he’s approaching the finish line with 2 flat tires in the last lap at this point.
3000 hits is a pretty attainable at this point. Even if he hits like .260 in his next 500 at bats, he’ll get to 3000 hits. He has 2 years of control left. 22 home runs doesn’t seem like that far of a stetch either.
He only needs 12
Hope this guy isn’t my accountant.
Top 5 active leaders under 30:
Mike Trout (29) 1402
Manny Macbado (28) 1288
Bryce Harper (28) 1142
Christian Yelich (29) 1118
Xander Boegarts (28) 1111
That Manny Macbado is quite the schemer. Watch out for his wife tho. Lady Macbado.
500 more at bats might be a big ask for Miggy at this point in his career. I really hope he gets it. The hit tool is losing prominence in today’s game. There might seriously not be another 3000 hit player in the game today. If Mike Trout matches his first 11 years with his second 11 years — a monumental feat — he’d still be almost 200 hits short.
It’s already difficult as is getting hits with defensive shifts when hitters aren’t swinging away. You’re right that 3K career hits might become a rarity now with OBP being more of an emphasis than BA. To Miggy and attaining 500/3K!
Wouldn’t quite call it “control”. More like an anchor. “Oh no, he might float away somewhere”
Miggy, two time MVP, just a super player. Sure, hampered with a few injuries the last 3 seasons but he sure is talented and he still can anchor a very young talented tigers team!
Unfortunately a .514 OPS for Miggy is enough to put him in the starting lineup most days.
Not just super player. Super duper. When he comes on, it’s appointment television. In diners all across Tiggerland, from Farmingtonham to Birminghills to Romulus to Livonia, its: “supes on”.
short did good why not option someone else
I have a nominee. JaCoby Jones took a called strike three to end yesterday’s game and struck out today while getting hit on the forearm.
Jacoby Jones doesn’t have any options left. That’s why short was sent
Based on his (lack of) production, I don’t see lack of options as an obstacle.
Did good? Dropping a clean ball from Goodrum to turn-2 was an embarrassment. Lost the game for them.
hopefully this broken player will jumpstart a broken offense
Where’s Al?
I’m surprised no one has so far mentioned his $336M career earnings. Normally, 3 or 4 commentators with boners would’ve mentioned his bank by now…
I’m thankful he got that contract. Forever a Tiger.
One of the great right handed hitters of all time, not a 6th year player with 125 homers getting 250+ mil.
His wife and girlfriend are set for life.
LOL
Cabrera doesn’t have enough left in him to hit any of the milestones. He was washed 3 years ago, if not for his awful contract, he should have been 3 years into retirement. His opening day homer was a lucky hit, the ball was high and away a few inches out of the strike zone. In his pressing, he has lost all of his plate discipline. And even if he hits it, he is a station to station runner. Between him and Ramos, the bases are clogged up badly with either of them on. The Tigers really need to try to find a buy out agreement with him, and if they can’t get to that, it’s time to let him go and realize the enormity of Mike Illitch’s final mistake. No team in the league would want him even as a bench bat. He’s not worth a roster spot even on a last place team because he’s taking away time from someone else who is better than him. It’s a sorry sight to see him diminished so badly like this, but it happens to the best… time to cede to reality.
Exactly, then they could have had christin Stewart as dh. LOL
The problem with your thinking is even as bad as miggy has been, hes still better than the majority of the hitters on that garbage team.
Christin Stewart in the worst Twilight film was more promise than this wreck of a finish. Like that interminable Twilight series, the Miggy show just keeps goin and goin and goin.
Al
That is nonsense. Cabrera still make above average velocity off his bat, you mention his opening day HR as if the average MLB player is going to knock a HR the opposite way (regardless of conditions.)
You blabber your opinion as if buying out Cabrera would accomplish something productive.
He will hit his milestones, he will do it with the D, and you need to relax.
Above average velocity on all three of his hits so far this season… Fans will just flock to see him when they hear that.
He has 28 ABs.
You need to relax with your nonsense too.
You know I’m right.
Keep in mind the state of the Tigers: The Detroit Tigers are deep in a rebuild and floundering at it. Miguel Cabrera is the last player in MLB one would ever want on a rebuilding team. The Tigers will not be successful while Cabrera is the feature player of this team. They are operating in two polar opposite and incompatible modes.
Cabrera represents the past and he’s diminished to the point he’s detrimental to the team.
Zach Short is a rare Al Avila acquisition who is actually better than any of us expected.
Illitch legacy. Yeah like a bad Pepperoni pizza (pizza pizza!) that’s been out in a hot car too long, it gone.
You’re trying way too hard to be funny.
Given the Tigers current phase of competiveness, Miggy brings name value and familar face which sells stadium tickets. The same with Pujols in Anaheim and Chris Davis in Baltimore. Sure you may be able to get better production out of a younger replacement but do those one or two extra marginal wins move the needle for these teams? And Miggy isn’t that bad when he’s on the field.
At this point, people go to Tigers and Orioles games because they are true fans of their teams.
Saying that people go to the game to watch Miguel Cabrera or Chris Davis is the same as saying people going to the to watch a 1973 Buick Electra Station Wagon race a Top Fuel Dragster because they want to reminisce of what that Buick once was. They know the outcome but there’s hope, right?
Albert Pujols will sell tickets closer to the end of the season when he plays his final game at each stadium because its his final year but people go to Angels games to see Mike.
They’re really, really rich with disposable income or part of an organization, sponsoring kids……or just have no choice to fill their role as parent….
I said, “Where’s Al?”.
Is it that no one knows or….that no one cares…..?