The reason for mentioning this injury is it is the same injury Carlos Boozer had at the end of the Jazz season, when he couldn’t play the last game of the season but then miraculously recovered to play a few days later without apparent limitations in the playoffs. The “obliques” are muscles of the abdominal wall that are involved in the twisting motion which is big in baseball. Hitting, throwing, and running the bases all put a demand on these small but important muscles, and any motion that puts stress on the injured muscle can cause a sharp stabbing pain that can be fairly disabling. It can take anywhere from 7-10 days to 4-6 weeks for these injuries to heal and the main treatment is rest from the motions that cause the pain. It is possible to play through the injury if the pain is not too severe, but it will prolong the healing time if it keeps getting “tweaked”. Cabrera’s return will again be a day to day determination based on his functional level, but could be short or long.