Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera’s groin injury might be lingering

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera left Tuesday’s game after his previously-strained groin muscle tightened up during the game.

Miguel Cabrera hit a home run in his triumphant return to the Detroit Tigers lineup, but the star first baseman is not completely out of the woods when it comes to his strained groin muscle.

Cabrera was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday afternoon but was lifted from the game in the eighth inning. MLive reports that the injured are tightened up on him as the game progressed.

"Cabrera said the Tigers were being cautious on his first day back from the injury but he seemed optimistic he would be able to play on Wednesday.“We’ve got to be careful right now,” Cabrera said. “(Wednesday will be) same mentality as today: Be ready to play and try to go nine innings.”"

The good news is that the move to pull Cabrera from the game seemed to be based on caution rather than necessity. He was due up eighth in the order and was unlikely to come to the plate again, barring a comeback from the Indians. Perhaps he would have been healthy enough to play had the game outcome been been more in doubt (they had a 92% chance to win at that point).

Hopefully the club will be able to get by playing it safe for a few days as Cabrera rounds back into form. It would be disappointing to find out that he rushed back (and onto the field defensively) before he was fully ready. The last thing the Tigers need is for the injury to continue to linger into the future.

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The Tigers performed admirably in his absence, but they’ll need their best hitter at full capacity down the stretch if they’re going to make a run at a postseason berth this season.