Report: Cabrera May Not Be Ready For Opening Day
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera underwent surgery on his right ankle Wednesday to remove bone spurs and repair a stress fracture to his navicular bone, the team announced Friday.
The Tigers had acknowledged during the season the presence of a bone spur in Cabrera's ankle, but they did not know about the stress fracture.
"It was a surprise, I'd say, for all of us," general manager Dave Dombrowski told Jason Beck of MLB.com. "We were not aware [the stress fracture] was there. I'm not sure how long it was there. He did have a couple of screws inserted."
The Tigers said in their statement that Cabrera will be re-evaluated in three months.
Beck wrote that Cabrera's recovery will essentially preclude him from offseason workouts, and he noted that Dombrowski would not comment on whether Cabrera will be ready for spring training.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the situation might be even more dire.
Cabrera's foot problems appeared to hamper him at times during the 2014 season, but he still finished the year with a .313 batting average, 25 home runs, an American League-high 52 doubles and 109 runs batted in. Though a far cry from his 2013 statistics, those numbers would be considered excellent for almost anyone other than Cabrera.
This is the second straight offseason surgery for the 31-year-old, who underwent core muscle repair surgery in late October last year.
Following MVP seasons in 2012 and 2013, Cabrera signed a 10-year, $292 million deal with the Tigers in March.
