Trainer Explains Miguel Cabrera's Lingering Injury
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
COMERICA PARK (CBS DETROIT) – Despite the fact he is back in the lineup, Miguel Cabrera is still feeling the hip flexor issue that kept him out of four straight games last week.
Detroit Tigers head trainer Kevin Rand said Cabrera, who made several impressive plays at third base Tuesday, tweaked the injury on a play where he had to come forward to get the ball.
"The muscles of the abdomen operate as hip flexors, so this is what bothers him," Rand said, lifting his knee toward his chest. "It's part of the abdominal complex. This is an abdominal strain, but it functions as a hip flexor, so it bothers him in the hip flexor.
"It bothers him to run, bring his hip up, some, at times, not all the time," Rand added. "Just depends on what the level's at."
While the injury flares up on select plays at third, Rand said Cabrera's swing has not been affected.
"Doesn't bother him rotationally," Rand said. "You saw the plays tonight. The two to his right, no problem on that, but the play when he came in, as he extends up, that's stretching out the abdomen, so that's where it bothers him."
"The fact is he knows that there are going to be certain plays that are going to stress that area more than other plays," Rand added. "Obviously, you see him, swing the bat does not. He swings the bat very well, but that, the two plays to his right, like I said, no problems on those, but when he came in on that other play and came up, yeah, he felt it at that point. Tweaked it a little bit."
The abdominal strain is something that – as most injuries – would heal more quickly if not for the daily grind of baseball.
"It's the type of thing where that's something he's going to feel, and as long as he's able to work through that, he's okay," Rand said.
