Miguel Cabrera underwent surgery last October to remove bone spurs from his right ankle and repair a stress fracture in his foot. His status for Opening Day is in question at the moment, but the Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand recently told Lynn Henning of the Detroit News that they should get a better idea about his progress after he goes for a CT scan as part of a check-up with orthopedic surgeon Robert Anderson next month.

“His rehab has gone well,” Rand said. “He’s in a partial weight-bearing stage, six weeks in a boot, which began just before Christmas. He’ll got back and see Dr. Anderson next month and hope the CT scan will show that everything’s well and that he can move into a full weight-bearing program.”

Even if the Tigers get good news, Cabrera is no lock to be ready for Opening Day. Given his importance to the lineup and the team’s postseason aspirations, it might not be the worst thing for him to miss the first week or two if it means that he’ll be closer to 100 percent. His recovery will be an important storyline to follow this spring.

Cabrera, who turns 32 in April, batted .313/.371/.524 with 25 home runs and 109 RBI over 159 games last season. He hit .379 with eight home runs and a 1.118 OPS in September, which was pretty amazing under the circumstances.

Follow @djshort