Miguel Cabrera says he’s ‘very close’ to returning to Tigers’ lineup

The Detroit Tigers find themselves just 4.5 games back in the AL Central despite their below average play during the early part of the season, and their lineup should be getting a major boost in the near future.

Miguel Cabrera, who has not played since May 4 because of a hamstring injury, told reporters on Tuesday that he is “very close” to returning to the Tigers’ lineup, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. When asked exactly how close, Cabrera said “days.”

Cabrera is no longer experiencing pain in his strained hamstring, but he has been dealing with soreness as he works through conditioning and agility drills. He only took batting practice on Tuesday after doing more the day before.

“I have to go easy today,” Cabrera said Tuesday. “I have to rest my legs. It’s about conditioning right now. I have to see how I feel in the morning and then do some conditioning work again. Then we will see after that. Hopefully I can play. But we have to be careful.”

Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire still says there is “no timetable” for Cabrera’s return, and the All-Star first baseman needs to prove his body can respond well to conditioning. If he does that, he could be ready for Detroit’s series against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend.

Cabrera certainly isn’t the fastest guy, which he reminded us of when he roasted himself after nearly hitting for the cycle earlier this season. Still, he needs to get to the point where he is not experiencing soreness just from going through drills.