J.D. Martinez was penciled into the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the series finale against the Texas Rangers, but he ended up being a late scratch moments before first pitch at Globe Life Field.
The first report from the Dodgers was Martinez began dealing with left hamstring tightness and he was replaced in the lineup by Will Smith. While a hamstring injury would be extra concerning for any player, the newest update provides a more positive outlook.
After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Martinez will not require an MRI and the team doesn’t expect it to be a long-term issue even though the veteran designated hitter was already ruled out for Monday’s game, via SportsNet LA:
“Just right before the game, when he was getting ready to do his running and pregame stuff, he felt something in his kind of groin area, the upper glute, and just felt he couldn’t go. We looked at it, I don’t think it’s something that’s going to be very long. But I’m going to have him down [Monday] just for precaution. We’ll DH Max, get Yonny (Hernández) at third base, and then he should be ready to go on Tuesday. … It’s not an MRI situation. After he got some treatment he felt better.”
The 35-year-old has started nearly every game as the Dodgers’ DH this season, and with the team playing some of their best baseball right now, they are fortunate the injury shouldn’t sideline Martinez for too long.
Martinez did spend time on the 10-day injured list earlier in the season because of lower back tightness, but has remained a productive member of the lineup outside of that.
Martinez is batting .263/.313/.568 with 20 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs and 73 RBI over 80 games this season. He leads the team in RBI, is second in home runs, third in doubles and fourth in on-base plus slugging percentage (.881).
J.D. Martinez shook off past All-Star game performances
The Dodgers had several members of their usual lineup who appeared in the 93rd Midsummer Classic, including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Martinez and Will Smith. But it was their first-year DH who had the biggest impact, delivering two hits, including a double in the top of the fourth inning.
With Martinez standing on second, Miami Marlins All-Star Luis Arraez lined a single to right field, bringing in the tying run.
Martinez displayed a bit of what he’s done all year for the Dodgers, providing extra-base hits at a strong pace while bringing terrific at-bat quality. This year’s All-Star Game was the sixth of his career, and Martinez’s two hits was his best offensive showing in any of the exhibitions, which he was relieved by.
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