Miguel Cabrera Cleared For Return

Miguel Cabrera was cleared for baseball activities today and is expected to return to the lineup very soon. The return could happen as soon as tomorrow after suffering a fracture near his right eye. The fracture occurred after a ball took a bad hop with Cabrera at 3rd base, leading a bunch of armchair managers to wonder if Cabrera is fit to play 3rd base. All indications are that Cabrera will return to 3rd, and having seen the play, I can assure most that not a lot of 3rd baseman would’ve gotten the glove up on that ball.

The good thing is that Cabrera will get the opportunity to see some game action before the start of the season. The more fielding practice he can take before the start of the season, the better. So far, the reviews have been positive on the work Cabrera is doing at 3rd, but often in spring training, most things take a sunnier outlook.

I don’t want to downplay the seriousness of the injury, anytime a baseball player takes a baseball on the face, there could be long term ramifications. There could be some vision problems, and in general, a little bit of shyness from the baseball both at the plate and in the field.  Cabrera is a professional though, so I don’t see it being an issue for him while defending the hot corner.

Bottom line though, the Tigers need Miguel Cabrera if they are going to get to a World Series. This injury obviously isn’t going to keep him out, but it does go to show us that anything can happen in baseball.

It’s good to see the big guy back.