Ron Gardenhire had so many injuries to run through at his pregame press conference Tuesday afternoon that he brought team trainer Doug Teeter into his office to explain each one. Naturally, the first question concerned Miguel Cabrera.
Well, there's good news and bad news.
Let's start with the good. Cabrera won't need surgery. He can stay in the Tigers' lineup, for the time being, on a day-to-day basis. That's about it.
And for the bad? An MRI revealed "chronic changes to his knee," Teeter said, "that are a natural result of the attrition of a long athletic career." Cabrera will have to deal with it as long as he keeps playing baseball. To limit further damage, his days of manning first base are mostly over.
This is likely Cabrera's new normal: a DH battling knee pain.
That said, the 36-year-old was in a buoyant mood Tuesday afternoon, relieved to know he won't have to undergo surgery for the second time in as many years. He deemed the diagnosis "really good news." Turns out, he's been dealing with it for a long time.
"The doctor said I’ve had this for five years, so I’m used to this. It’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes you pay the price when you play for a lot of years and sometimes you pay the price when you play hurt," Cabrera said.
Few players, if any, have battled injuries like Cabrera has over the last several years. It began catching up to him in 2017 when his production tumbled, and it closed the gap further in 2018 when he missed most of the season with a torn bicep. Now this.
For all of his natural talent, it's safe to say Cabrera will never be the same hitter again. But he wouldn't change a thing if given a second chance.
"No, because that’s the way I am. I feel proud about what I did in the past," he said. "I wanted to be on the field. Don't take anything for granted."
Recently, the knee condition has turned Cabrera into a strictly upper-body hitter. He can't generate power in his legs the way he did in his prime. It helps explain why he has just two homers this season, even as he's spent most of the year hitting near .300.
But again, this is his new normal.
“I just have to deal with it, the soreness and the pain, whatever they want to call it," Cabrera said. "My goal is to go out there and do my job.”
And to do that, to continue to be a threat at the plate, to continue to play and put up numbers, Cabrera may have to alter his swing. The injury is to his right knee, the one that he drives with at the plate.
"He’s going to have to make an adjustment." That’s the bottom line," said Gardenhire. "And he’s the only person that’s going to know how to do that. (Hitting coach) Lloyd (McClendon) is going to help him, always wants to, but he’s going to have to find a way to get through it.
"I just know this, he can still hit. He’s been hitting without complete health, and now we’re going to have to fight our way through this. He’s up for it."
As for playing in the field, Cabrera is likely done for the foreseeable future. It was the one piece of news he struggled with. He doesn't like the idea of being a full-time DH, even if he knows it's for the best. He's signed through 2023. That's a lot of time to potentially spend on the bench.
"It’s sad, it’s really sad," he said. "It’s something the last few days I was thinking about, because I like to be in the field."
Gardenhire has been managing Cabrera's time at first base throughout this season, giving him days off here and there to keep his legs fresh.
"Now I’m really not even going to think about putting him at first base. That’s the only part that’s really changed for me," Gardenhire said. "He may fight me and want to go out there and play, but the recommendations are no, try to keep him in the DH slot. We’ll go with that for a while here and see how it all goes down. And he’s satisfied with that. He just wants to play and be a part of the team."
As far as treatment, Teeter said four specialists reviewed Cabrera's MRI and recommended a symptomatic, day-by-day approach. They also agreed that surgery is not in Cabrera's best interests, not at this point. And Cabrera doesn't consider it an option moving forward.
"No, no. I’m done with surgery," he said with a laugh. "Forget about that, no chance."
"You’re getting older. You can’t stop that. When you get older and you’re still in the big leagues, that’s a great thing," he said. "It’s been 17 years here. You have to be proud of that."