DETROIT -- The recurring back problems that have bothered Jose Cabrera for much of the season have returned. The Tigers first baseman left Saturday's 10-4 loss to the White Sox with low back tightness and is listed as day to day.
Cabrera returned a week ago from a seven-game suspension. He said earlier this week that the time off helped him rest his back, which has bothered him on and off since he first injured it while playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He was 7-for-26 with two homers over his first seven games since returning.
Cabrera looked like he might have tweaked his back during Friday's win over the White Sox, but he stayed in the game. By the early innings Saturday, however, he looked uncomfortable fielding around first base. John Hicks replaced him in the field for the top of the fifth inning.
"It was after the first couple innings," manager Brad Ausmus said. "I think the standing around on defense really affects him. That's when it acts up."
The 34-year-old Cabrera is batting .248 this season with 21 doubles, 16 home runs, 60 RBIs and a .734 OPS, all lows for him since his first full Major League season in 2004. While the Tigers have traded many veterans this summer as they embark on their first full-fledged rebuilding project in more than a decade, Cabrera appears likely to remain as one of the few veterans, with his contract running through at least 2023.