Detroit Tigers: Cabrera Set To Return To First Base In Pittsburgh

As the Detroit Tigers travel to the Steel City to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, they will be without a DH due to being on the road against a National League opponent.

Having to play two games without a DH in Pittsburgh does not mean the Detroit Tigers will let veteran Miguel Cabrera get any rest. Despite assuming an almost permanent DH role for the rest of his career due to chronic knee issues, Cabrera will play in the field, returning to first base on Tuesday night against the Pirates.

Just two weeks ago, it seemed as if Miggy’s days at first base were virtually over, as Detroit Tigers team doctors advised that “chronic changes” to his knee would mean a more permanent shift to DH. Since assuming the full-time DH role two weeks ago, Cabrera has seven RBI and two home runs, doubling his season total of long balls from two to four.

Sending Cabrera back out on defense shows just how important Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire still believes Cabrera is to the team’s struggling offense. Despite his largely diminished power, the former two-time AL MVP is still a significant contributor for Detroit at the plate, leading the team in RBI with 29 and batting average at .294.

Second to Cabrera in both RBI and BA is Brandon Dixon, whose bat has been heating up lately. Dixon is currently hitting .278 with 26 RBI on the season and will shift to third base on Tuesday after being the go-to first baseman since Cabrera’s move to DH.

Yes, Miguel Cabrera is practically a shell of the MVP-caliber player he used to be, but putting him back out on defense instead of giving him rest shows just how important his bat still is to this Tigers team. Detroit needs all the help they can get on offense, and having Miggy in the lineup can really only help.