Miguel Cabrera didn't need to be healthy to win his second straight Hank Aaron Award, but he expects to be OK next season.
The Tigers slugger was in St. Louis Sunday to accept the award as the American League's top offensive performer.
Cabrera, 30, batted .348 with 44 home runs and 137 RBIs, numbers nearly identical to his Triple Crown season in 2012 (.330, 44, 139).
Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski revealed at manager Jim Leyland's retirement news conference last Monday that Cabrera had a Grade 2 or 3 groin tear and might require surgery.
On Sunday, Cabrera said that decision had not been made yet.
"I have to check with the doctor and see what he says, and we'll go from there," Cabrera told reporters in St. Louis.
Cabrera said he would make a return visit this week to see Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia, a specialist in sports hernia injuries.
Cabrera originally visited Dr. Meyers after the regular season, but only with the assurance that no matter what the diagnosis was, he would not be shut down.
There were critics who believed that Cabrera could have healed if given a stint on the disabled list, but Cabrera denied that.
"We checked with doctors," Cabrera said. "We got a lot of different opinions. If somebody had told me, 'Rest 15 days and you're gonna be OK,' I'd rest 15 days.
"But that was not the case. They said it was not going to get better until after the season."
Cabrera was reluctant to discuss his injuries during the playoffs but admitted Sunday that it was challenging.
"At that time, it was hard to talk to me about how I was feeling because I always try to focus about how I am able to help my team to win games," Cabrera said. "That time, I would try to take off the negative stuff.
"We understand I was hurt, but I don't want to open up and try to tell the other team that I was hurt ... I want to be out there strong. I want to be on the field and try to compete and try to win some games.
Cabrera hit .262 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 11 postseason games.
He downplayed the notion that had he been fully healthy, he might have made the difference in the ALCS.
"You don't win with one player," Cabrera said. "You win with 25 guys."
