Asdrubal Cabrera, 31, has been playing Winter Ball in Venezuela. So far, he has gone 0-11 with one walk while playing second base and DH. He also plans to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in a few months.
Sandy Alderson was initially hesitant about him playing this winter, citing his strained patellar tendon he endured last season, however he changed his mind recently.
Last season, some of which was played through the injury, Cabrera slashed .280/.336/.474 with 23 home runs, 62 RBIs, 30 doubles, and 5 stolen bases in 141 games.
It is very important to keep in mind one thing: Us writers, you readers, even the Mets’ front office can not feel what the players are feeling. Nobody knows their bodies better than they do. Speaking from years of playing experience (as well as two ACL tears) team trainers usually make decisions on playing time based on what the player says. If Asdrubal Cabrera says he is healthy and wants to play Winter Ball to get better, all the more power to him.
If he gets hurt, certainly don’t go blaming him for it. He is an athlete playing a sport, injuries happen. Considering he had the second best season of his career, he should do whatever he did last offseason. Which, by the way, was play winter ball in Venezuela.
