Tigers manager Jim Leyland is uncertain how much playing time third baseman Miguel Cabrera will receive over the final week of the season, Mlive.com reports.
"He might come in and say he can play but I'm not playing him," Leyland said. "His leg is black and blue. I'm worried about it, to be honest with you, but I don't know what I can do about it. We just have to move forward, keep chugging along. It's a Catch 22 because you want him out there on base. But if he's out there four times, there's a chance it's going to get sore. He got three hits and a walk (before leaving Saturday's game). He's so good."
Leyland also worries about Cabrera receiving too much time off.
"You're going to have four days off after the season before the playoffs start," Leyland said. "All of sudden, you rest him three or four days, now that's seven out of eight days you don't play your best hitter. Going into the playoffs without seeing a pitch for seven or eight days, that's not good either. That's a Catch 22. Common sense tells you to let him rest but if you rest him for three or four days and then you have four days before they start if you get in, you're talking he's rested for a week and hasn't seen a pitcher. That not good. That's tough."
Cabrera leads the league in multiple hitting categories and is likely the favorite to win his second consecutive AL MVP award.