Tigers’ Cabrera nursing bad back
Slugger Miguel Cabrera is back from the World Baseball Classic, but he isn’t back to action with the Detroit Tigers.
Cabrera’s timetable depends on the tightness in his back, which looms larger than the precautionary concern it was thought to be when he was held out of Venezuela’s final game in the WBC last weekend.
‘‘ I will play when I am ready to play,’’ Cabrera said Thursday. ‘‘ If I can play tomorrow, I will play tomorrow. But I am not worried about that right now. I am worried about getting my back good and making sure I am 100 percent.’’
Cabrera has receiving daily treatment on his back for the last few days. Though the injury wasn’t reported until Venezuela’s next- to- last game in the second round, he said it flared up in Venezuela’s first game.
‘‘ I hurt my back the first game in Mexico,’’ Cabrera said. ‘‘ Long game, and I felt a pop in the right side.’’ Cabrera pointed to his lower lat as he said it. ‘‘ After that, it affected more toward my left side,’’ he said. ‘‘ That’s where I feel it more.’’
Hamstring to idle Angels’ Valbuena 4- 6 weeks
Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Valbuena has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in his right hamstring and is expected to be out four to six weeks, the team announced.
Valbuena left the Angels’ 7- 4 loss Wednesday to the Texas Rangers after three innings with hamstring tightness and had an MRI exam. The Angels had hoped the injury would be minor, but the results showed it wasn’t.
Valbuena had season- ending surgery on the same hamstring in August, an injury that limited him to 90 games last season with the Houston Astros. He also was sidelined for two weeks earlier in camp with leg soreness, though manager Mike Scioscia said that absence wasn’t related to the hamstring.
Rays pick Archer to start on Opening Day
As expected, manager Kevin Cash said righthander Chris Archer will be the Tampa Bay Rays’ starter on Opening Day.
Cash said Archer will be followed, in order, by Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb, Blake Snell and Matt Andriese.
‘‘ It’s just how we put it together,’’ Cash said. ‘‘ We talked about it briefly. We met with each guy and let them know. They were all good with their schedules leading up to Opening Day, so it worked out well. It’s pretty much been defined for two weeks now.’’
Before Cash’s announcement, Archer assessed where he was at this point of the spring.
‘‘ This is definitely the best I’ve felt in March, and hopefully it translates into a successful six months, plus October,’’ said Archer, who was 9- 19 with a 4.02 ERA last season.