Tigers' Cabrera ruptures biceps tendon, out for year
Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera ruptured a tendon in his left biceps Tuesday during Detroit's game against the Minnesota Twins, and he will undergo season-ending surgery.
Cabrera was hurt while swinging and missing on a third-inning pitch by Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi.
"He feels really bad," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said postgame. "He feels like he's letting people down. There's a guy who's a warrior. Total respect for that man. He's a hell of a baseball player. Hopefully, we can somehow get through this thing and get him back playing.
"We've got to try to help him get through this thing. It's a very sad day for our baseball team. He's a special player, a special person to have around here. That's a blow. I felt terrible when I saw him do that."
The 11-time All-Star and two-time American League MVP missed three games from April 30-May 2 due to a left biceps spasm. He returned to go 1-for-4 on May 3 against the Kansas City Royals, then landed on the disabled list for four weeks due to a right hamstring strain.
Cabrera, 35, is hitting .299 with a .395 on-base percentage, three homers and 22 RBIs in 38 games this season. He was 0-for-1 on Tuesday before being replaced by Niko Goodrum.
From his arrival in the majors with the then-Florida Marlins in June 2003 until the middle of the 2015 season, Cabrera was never on the disabled list. However, he was limited to 119 games in 2015 due to a calf injury, and he played just 130 games 2017 because of a groin injury.
Cabrera is making $30 million this year, the same salary he is guaranteed each year through 2021. He will make $32 million in both 2022 and 2023 before the club has options for two additional years at $30 million apiece, or an $8 million buyout.
The huge salaries are part of an eight-year, $248 million contract Cabrera signed with the Tigers in March 2014.
Cabrera opened his career by playing five years with the Marlins before a one-sided trade sent him and left-hander Dontrelle Willis to Detroit in exchange for six players, most notably left-hander Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin.
When Cabrera led the American League in batting average (.330), homers (44) and RBIs (139) in 2012, he became baseball's first triple crown winner since the Boston Red Sox's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
--Field Level Media
