MLB Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera fouls ball off leg, leaves game for precautionary reasons
OAKLAND, Calif. — Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera fouled a ball off his left leg, just above his ankle, in the sixth inning of Thursday's 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.
The Tigers removed Cabrera, replaced by pinch-hitter Andre Lipcius, in the eighth inning, but the 21-year MLB veteran is expected to be in the starting lineup for Friday's game. There are nine games remaining in Cabrera's final season.
"We pulled him out of precaution," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after Thursday's victory. "I'm going to put him in the lineup tomorrow. If we scratch him, it's going to be because he's too sore, but I know he wants to play."
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Cabrera finished 0-for-3 with one strikeout in Thursday's game, the first of four games at the Oakland Coliseum. The 40-year-old is hitting .256 with 16 doubles, three home runs, 27 walks and 70 strikeouts in 91 games this season.
The foul ball occurred on a third-pitch 96.8 mph fastball from Athletics right-handed reliever Mason Miller. Two pitches later, Cabrera flew out to right field for the first out in the sixth inning.
His lower leg felt sore after the game.
"We got ice on it as soon as possible," Hinch said, "so hopefully, the swelling will stay minimal."
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Since May 30, Cabrera is hitting .291 (64-for-220) with 16 of his 19 extra-base hits across 64 games. The future Hall of Famer ranks 16th on MLB's all-time list with 3,167 hits in his career. He also has 623 doubles, 510 home runs and a .307 batting average.
The Tigers return to Comerica Park on Tuesday for the final six games of the season — and the final six games of Cabrera's career — against the Kansas City Royals (Tuesday-Thursday) and Cleveland Guardians (Sept. 29-Oct. 1).
"We're going to miss him," Hinch said. "We don't even really want to think about the end yet, but he's been incredible. We're getting to be around a living legend every single day and enjoy not only his personality but his play. Being around a Hall of Fame-caliber player is rare. We need to soak up everything we can."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers still plan to play Miguel Cabrera on Friday in Oakland
