Jesse Johnson- USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central last night and that should be the last time Miguel Cabrera plays until next Friday when the ALDS begins. Cabrera has struggled, by his standards, the last month, Watching him run around the bases is about as painful as seeing your grandfather have to try and make his way around. You have to credit Miguel Cabrera for being tough enough to battle through a host of injuries to help his team but the time has finally come for him to get his rest before the postseason begins.
That doesn’t mean he is the only one who should get some rest this weekend. Victor Martinez will probably get most of the series off with the loss of the DH position. There was talk of maybe having Victor Martinez catch if need be but now that need is gone and, at most, he should only play once this weekend and that should be in place of Prince Fielder over at first base. The ability to now get your big players the rest they desperately need is huge for the Tigers playoff chances as the last thing the Tigers need to do is run their star players into the ground as they are already seeming to run a little out of gas.
The rest not only helps out players like Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, it also helps some of the bench players who have been lost in the shuffle. Giving them some reps heading into the postseason could be crucial in keeping them fresh should injuries or situations come up where they would be needed. Guys like Ramon Santiago, Don Kelly and others will get a chance to get themselves back in the playing groove and knowing Jim Leyland the odds of them being used is pretty good in the postseason. It’s time to use the next three games as a time of rest to ensure when the playoffs begin the Tigers will be at its fullest strength possible.
Brent Smith is a Detroit Tigers writer for www.RantSports.com.
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