Miguel Cabrera has 'chronic changes in his knee' as result of playing through injuries
There’s a reason Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is hitting only singles these days. Turns out, Cabrera has been dealing with a knee issue, and things don’t sound promising, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck.
The 36-year-old Cabrera was officially diagnosed with “chronic changes in his knee.” Basically, his knee has taken a beating over the years and the wear and tear is starting to add up. Cabrera said he’s been dealing with knee issues for the past five seasons.
Cabrera’s injury has been attributed to him playing through pain in the past. Cabrera played through a torn groin and broken foot when the team was contending for the World Series, according to Beck. Cabrera also dealt with injuries in 2016. Over the years, Cabrera refused to discuss those issues in season, and would address them only after the year ended.
Cabrera seemed pretty down about the diagnosis.
“The only advice I can say to young kids is take care of their body when they have to," Miguel Cabrera said. "When they have something, stop playing for a week and come back. Don’t play through pain, because you’re going to pay the price later.”
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 4, 2019
By all accounts Cabrera was one of the finest hitters of his era. He may have even been the best. When his team had a shot to win it all, he played through pain to be on the field to help it get there. Despite his efforts, the Tigers fell short.
Because of that willingness to battle through injuries in pursuit of the ultimate goal, Cabrera has been reduced to a guy who can’t even slug .400 now. Not only that, but he’ll carry that pain for the rest of his life. Right now, Cabrera’s career looks like the baseball version of a Greek tragedy.
It’s going to remain that way unless he can find a way to turn things around. If Tuesday is any indication, maybe that’s possible. Cabrera smacked a grand slam in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was his third home run of the season.
Cabrera is under contract with Detroit for four more seasons, and is still owed $124 million.
———
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports:
