Cabrera indicated that his back tightened up Monday morning, resulting in his absence from the lineup later in the evening in the Tigers' 6-2 loss to the Rangers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he initially expected Cabrera to play in the series opener with Texas, but the first baseman ended up sitting out his second consecutive contest after experiencing pain on the right side of his back. It's worth noting that Cabrera has battled chronic pain on the left side of his back through much of the season, suggesting that the current injury he's dealing with may be unrelated. The Tigers will reevaluate Cabrera on Tuesday to see if he's ready to return to the starting nine, but at this time, Ausmus said the team isn't considering placing the former MVP on the disabled list.