Miggy playing through back injury: 'Something I gotta deal with'

Miguel Cabrera's walk-off blast against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday may never have happened if he listened to his body.

The Detroit Tigers slugger's game-winning shot was his first home run in 22 games, an uncharacteristically quiet stretch for the two-time MVP. That may be explained by a back issue that Cabrera revealed he's been playing through, though he doesn't intend to use it as a scapegoat.

“I mean, my back,” Cabrera told reporters postgame, according to Will Burchfield of CBS Detroit, "Since the World Baseball Classic when I hurt my back, I can't get it out of the way. It's something I gotta deal with every day.

"But I'm not going to stop playing or make an excuse."

Cabrera's back issue isn't the only injury keeping him down, however. The Tigers first baseman also let slip he's dealing with pain in both his hip flexor and groin, the latter of which sent him to the 10-day disabled list and forced him to miss nine games between April and May this season.

Cabrera, though, doesn't have to look far to find inspiration to push through the pain, as he brought up his 2014 season when he managed to slash .313/.371/.524 with 25 home runs in 159 games despite playing with an undiagnosed stress fracture in his foot.

"No, no, no. I mean, I play with a broken foot (in 2014)," Cabrera said when asked if he would have to miss more time. "If I'm able to go out there and do my job, I'm gonna do it."