<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

Putting Miguel Cabrera on the DL puts Tigers in a bind

The Detroit Tigers had to send superstar slugger Miguel Cabrera to the disabled list for a strained groin. At first glance, the timing couldn't be worse -- Miggy was getting red-hot at the plate, ripping three homers in his past eight games, and he has the kind of bat that can carry a club for weeks at a time.

However, here's what into the decision: When a star player goes down, the last thing you want is a lingering injury, where you potentially lose the guy for weeks or a month. It's Miguel Cabrera, and you want to nip this in the bud early, not ask him to play at 90 percent and risk worse damage. It's also important to remember that Cabrera had to play through an injury in that area down the stretch in 2013 before having surgery, and that injury hampered him in the playoff, and he said that recovery from that surgery had an impact on him in the first half of 2014. As a player, manager or GM, you don't want to risk any of that.