Miguel Cabrera seemed destined to end his Hall of Fame MLB career on a high note after a stellar September. His farewell tour might not get the triumphant end he and Detroit Tigers fans hoped, however.

The legendary slugger fouled a ball off his leg in Thursday's 7-3 home win over the Oakland Athletics. He was removed from the game (0-for-3 prior to injury) but did at least receive some positive news. “No signs of a fracture, per Tigers,” Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported. “He will be re-evaluated after the game.”

There are just nine games left before Cabrera puts away his cleats for good, but this incident could decrease that number, to the disappointment of his supporters. The Venezuelan native has achieved nearly every worthwhile milestone there is during his 21 years in The Show. He won a World Series as a rookie with the Florida Marlins, claimed the Triple Crown, was voted American League MVP twice and is only the seventh player ever to join the exclusive 3,000 hit-500 home run club.

Cabrera's greatness coincided with some strong Detroit teams that seemed to be on the verge of a championship. Similarly, his decline has accompanied a downward spiral for the franchise. The 40-year-old may not be retiring after an October run, but he does get to witness the possible birth of a new fruitful era of Tigers baseball.

With that organizational goal at the forefront, Miguel Cabrera has played sparingly in the 2023 season. He has appeared in just 91 games and is now batting .256. Detroit (72-81) ends the year against poor competition, so the only real draw would be seeing the franchise great take his final at-bats. Tigers fans desperately hope that is still a possibility.