Tigers' Miguel Cabrera (lower back stiffness) out for second straight game

ARLINGTON, Texas – Miguel Cabrera woke up on Monday morning dealing with more back tightness and was out of the Detroit Tigers’ lineup for a second consecutive game.

“He was originally going to play today but he texted me this morning and said that his back had tightened up again,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “We’ll go day-to-day and see how he feels.”

Cabrera left Saturday night’s win over the Twins with lower back stiffness, according to the team, and did not play on Sunday. He has been dealing with back issues for the duration of the regular season, dating back to the World Baseball Classic in March. The issues, in part, explain why he has struggled this season: In 101 games, Cabrera is hitting .253 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.

Cabrera’s lowest batting average in 14 full seasons is .292 in 2008, his first in Detroit. The fewest amount of home runs he’s hit is 18 back in 2015.

“It’s the opposite side,” Ausmus said, noting the back tightness he had struggled with previously was on the right side. “But it’s a different type of pain. That was more the hip that could be fixed by realigning. This is more the muscles and lower back on the right side.”

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Asked if Cabrera had undergone a MRI, Ausmus declined comment, citing the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

Asked if he was a candidate to land on the 10-day disabled list, Ausmus said, “Not right now. He was originally in the lineup today but it was re-aggravated overnight.”

BACK TO RELIEF: It’s just one man’s opinion, but Drew VerHagen apparently agrees with what Ausmus thinks: The Tigers’ right-hander is better suited for a relief role going forward.

“I talked to him the other day about it,” Ausmus said. “Just one person’s opinion, but I thought he would be better in the bullpen. And he kind of agreed, actually, to some extent.”

After two spot starts, VerHagen will be filling a long-relief role of sorts for the Tigers.

“I think he’d be better as a seventh inning guy eventually,” Ausmus said, noting his fastball velocity could play up to 95 m.ph. in shorter stints. “Get groundball double plays.”

VerHagen approached the Tigers’ front office about transitioning back to a starting role this season and served as such with Triple-A Toledo. There has always been a split within the organization as to which role he would best fill but it seems likely, if he wants to stick in the big leagues for an extended period of time, relief would be his best opportunity.

VerHagen has allowed 11 runs on 17 hits in 12 2/3 innings this season, spanning four outings. 

Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Download our Tigers Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!