Melky Cabrera has reportedly inquired whether the San Francisco Giants want him to report to their minor league complex to get ready for the playoffs, but there are indications that the Giants are done with the 28-year-old for good, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area.
Cabrera, who is currently serving a 50-game suspension for the alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs, would be eligible to be added to the Giants’ postseason roster down the line, but he would have to miss their first five playoff games.
If the Giants did ask Cabrera back, he would have to serve 40 games of the suspension before any “formal activities,” according to Baggarly.
Cabrera has hit .346 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, 84 runs and 13 stolen bases this season. At the time of his suspension, he was leading baseball in hits and runs scored. He is also in position to win the National League batting title.
Before the 2012 campaign, Cabrera’s best year was last season with the Kansas City Royals. He hit .305 with 18 home runs, 87 RBI, 102 runs and 20 stolen bases.
But before that, Cabrera was largely considered an average hitter. In 2010, he hit .255 with four home runs, 42 RBI and 50 runs in 458 at-bats with the Atlanta Braves.
The Giants would have certainly liked Cabrera to have come along for the ride, but they appear to be doing rather well without him anyway.
Even with the Los Angeles Dodgers making their big trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett, the Giants have been rolling along. They have a 7-4 record in September, and they’ve scored the seventh-most runs in the month (62).
The Giants are currently 7.5 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.
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