Two-Time MLB MVP Miguel Cabrera to Return to Playing Pro Baseball This Winter

While it's not MLB, one of the greatest hitters of all time will be taking professional hacks at the baseball again.

Cabrera retired after his final MLB season in 2023. / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera is playing professional baseball again, but not in MLB.

Cabrera, 42, will be playing for the Tigres de Aragua in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter in the 2025-26 season, the club on Friday announced in a post on X.

"As part of the organization’s 60th anniversary, we are filled with great excitement to officially announce the addition of Miguel Cabrera to the team’s active roster," the club said as part of a statement.

It's not exactly clear if Cabrera, who now acts as a special assistant to Tigers president Scott Harris, is eyeing a more permanent return to pro baseball or is simply scratching an itch. He expressed in an interview back in July of 2024 that he misses the game.

"I miss it a lot," Cabrera said. "Sometimes I think a lot about not playing baseball anymore, but I also understand that my era is over. I understand that life goes on and you have to accept new challenges."

In addition to his duties as a special assistant for the Tigers, Cabrera is also set to serve as the hitting coach for Team Venezuela at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Cabrera retired from MLB in 2023, his final campaign, after 21 seasons in the big leagues. One of the best young prospects in the history of MLB, Cabrera made his big league debut with the Miami Marlins at the age of 20 back in 2003. Over the course of his decorated career with the Marlins and Detroit Tigers, Cabrera won one World Series, was named to 12 All-Star teams, won two AL MVPs and a Triple Crown, belted 511 career home runs and collected 3,174 career hits.

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