Jayson Stark notes that Miguel Cabrera’s premature departure from the 2011 MLB All-Star Game due to side stiffness was, like Josh Beckett’s sudden scratch earlier in the evening, merely precautionary.

Detroit Free Press reporting that Cabrera told Tigers PR dept. he’s “fine” & came out of game as a precaution.

No one, it seems, wants to push himself too hard in the All-Star Game, especially if he’s just going to be playing a couple more innings before being replaced by a sub anyway. Cabrera got one at-bat in the game and grounded out to second.

Cabrera doesn’t look like the sort of player who stays healthy, but he has played 150 or more games in seven straight seasons and has played in all of the Tigers’ 92 games so far. It would be a bit strange if some minor injury in the All-Star Game were the first to cost him serious time, but fortunately for Tigers fans, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

For more on the Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. For more on the 2011 MLB All-Star Game, check out this storystream.