MLB star Miguel Cabrera officially done for year after biceps injury is worse than anticipated
The Detroit Tigers were just dealt the worst news yet in a season seemingly full of bad news.
The team announced Tuesday that superstar infielder Miguel Cabrera will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his biceps tendon in a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Miguel Cabrera ruptured his biceps tendon. Season-ending surgery, Ron Gardenhire says.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) June 13, 2018
The injury, which occurred in the third inning, was originally thought to just be a biceps strain. The MRI obviously delivered much worse news.
The injury happened when Cabrera swung on an off-speed pitch. Worryingly, he immediately grabbed his arm despite a distinct lack of contact.
As is often the case, the non-contact injury turned out to be the final at-bat for Cabrera this year.
The 35-year-old Cabrera, who by any metric is a legendary figure in the annals of Tigers history, unfortunately has seen his productivity dip as injuries have begun to pile up later in his career. It took 12 years for Cabrera to make the disabled list, but he has been on it four times in the last three years, according to ESPN.
Miguel Cabrera is reportedly out for the season after a suffering biceps injury Tuesday
Cabrera entered the majors in 2003 and didn't make his 1st trip to the DL until 2015, but he's been a more frequent visitor since pic.twitter.com/2XNlSUpdxx
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2018
Worse yet, despite ailing from hamstring and back issues, Cabrera was on pace to have a nice rebound season from an uncharacteristically unproductive 2017.
Last season, Cabrera slashed an almost unrecognizable .249/.329/.399 in 529 plate appearances. This year, he was able to bring those numbers up to .301/.394/.451.
Not everything was turning up for Cabrera, however. What will now be his final season total of three home runs is markedly down from his usual homer numbers.
That all being said, even a less-effective Cabrera is a beloved figure among Tigers faithful. After all, the man still has a pair of MVP awards and a Triple Crown under his belt during his time with the Tigers.
Unsurprisingly, the news of Cabrera’s injury clearly hit the Tigers hard.
“It’s a very sad day for our baseball team. He’s a special player and a special person to have around here. It’s a blow. I feel terrible for him,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said, per MLB reporter Evan Woodbery.
“He feels like he’s letting people down. He’s a warrior,” Gardenhire added. “He feels terrible that he’s letting the team down. I have total respect for that man. He’s a hell of a baseball player.”
Making matters even worse, Gardenhire revealed that Cabrera’s status for even 2019 is uncertain and would depend on the operation, per ESPN.
“We’re all kind of stunned,” said Tigers teammate JaCoby Jones. “You don’t think anything like that is going to happen to Miguel Cabrera, especially on a swing.”
The Tigers will have no choice but to march forward without their franchise star. The team is currently sitting at 31-37 and is 5.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians.
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