Melky Cabrera may have meniscus tear in left knee, also exposed to waivers?

Jun 24, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) singles during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted earlier today that Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told him he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Melky Cabrera has meniscus tear in his left knee. Bowden originally reported that Anthopoulos told him Cabrera did have a tear, but that tweet has since been deleted in place of the following.

So I’m not sure what this means if anything. Is Alex attempting to play doctor on the radio? It’s clear that something is bothering Melky but I find it strange that Anthopoulos would say anything that hasn’t been confirmed by team doctors. Regardless the torn meniscus theory does make sense based on the way that Cabrera has hobbled around left field and the base paths this year in Toronto.

The timing around this news is strange, as it was also announced a few hours ago by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Cabrera was one of the first players to be put on waivers, along with Aaron Harang, Mike Gonzalez and Placido Polanco.

This is just the first of what could be many Toronto Blue Jays we hear about being exposed to waivers. It doesn’t mean much really, other than the fact we have tweets from two different sources within a couple of hours that seem to contradict themselves. I may be misunderstanding the MLB waiver rules but a player on the disabled list cannot be placed on Trade Assignment Waivers or Optional Assignment Waivers until he is reinstated from the DL.

With it currently looking like Melky will avoid further discipline from Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis scandal, at least there appears to be some good news ahead for Cabrera. In 2013 for the Blue Jays he has hit for a rather empty .279/.322/.360 triple-slash, with an uninspiring 87 OPS+, 86 wRC+ and .302 wOBA at the plate. Cabrera’s dead legs have also led to him being an absolute liability in the outfield, which has mostly accounted for his below replacement-level -0.8 fWAR.

Melky Messes Up. Credit: Gamereax

Update:

Gregor Chisholm who covers the Blue Jays for MLB.com reports that Cabrera and Dustin McGowan both had MRI’s performed on Friday. According to Jays’ manager John Gibbons the club is awaiting official word on the extent of both injuries.