Tiger 3rd baseman Miguel Cabrera took a hard shot to the face on a batted ball in the first inning of today's Grapefruit League game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The experiment to move Cabrera back to his old position (3rd) after acquiring free agent slugger Prince Fielder to play first base hit a snag today. In his first three weeks back at third, Cabrera had done quite well. Today's incident was a reminder that the move to third for the reigning American League batting champion comes with considerable risk.

Cabrera turned his head on the hard-hit ball, and recoiled after it hit near his right eye. The shot to the face drew blood, and forced Cabrera to leave the game in the first inning. He received stitches to close the wound, and had x-rays to make sure there were no fractures. The Tigers are a little over two weeks away from the start of the regular season, and any loss of Cabrera leaves a gaping hole in the Tiger lineup.

To add insult to injury, the Phillies beat the Tigers 4-3, handing Detroit only their second loss in spring training action.

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