Miggy's Opening Day status tied to results of CT scan
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Miguel Cabrera and his surgically repaired right foot will have to wait until Wednesday before being potentially cleared for running and baseball activity.
The Tigers slugger underwent a CT scan in Miami on Tuesday to see how much his foot has healed from the stress fracture that hampered him down the stretch last season. Dr. Robert Anderson, the Charlotte-based orthopedic surgeon who operated on Cabrera's foot and ankle last October, will review the results on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Tigers. What he sees will determine how realistically the team can hope to have Cabrera in the lineup on Opening Day.
The CT scan had been scheduled as part of the exam. Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand mentioned it back in January after Anderson had cleared Cabrera to remove his walking boot. Cabrera was always scheduled to have the exam in Miami, according to team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski, rather than travel to Charlotte, which was hit by a winter storm earlier this week.
Dombrowski, who is expected to talk about the results Wednesday morning, has been optimistic that Cabrera will be ready by Opening Day or shortly thereafter.
Clearance from Anderson would allow the two-time American League MVP and three-time AL batting champion to take part in workouts when the full Tigers squad reports next week. He'll likely be in camp before that.
Cabrera has been limited to upper-body work and moderate weight-bearing activities on his legs since undergoing surgery in October. Anderson removed a bone spur from Cabrera's right ankle, which was expected, but he also discovered a stress fracture of the navicular bone in Cabrera's foot.
Not only was the fracture a surprise, it was a marvel that Cabrera was able to play down the stretch last season. Cabrera was clearly hampered running the bases, but that was thought to be a result of the bone spur.
Cabrera couldn't put any weight on his right leg for much of the early offseason, then he had to use a walking boot. He didn't receive clearance to walk normally until January.
Will Carroll, who has written about injuries for several publications, said the exam is standard procedure and only a major issue would likely delay clearance for activity.
Cabrera's rehab coincides with the recovery of fellow All-Star and AL MVP runner-up Victor Martinez, who underwent surgery on Feb. 10 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Martinez is expected to be back in 4-6 weeks, giving him a chance to be ready for Opening Day as well.