Injury puts the status of Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez in doubt for ALDS
An ankle injury forced J.D. Martinez to sit on the sidelines for the thrilling Wild Card win over the New York Yankees. With the Boston Red Sox advancing to the American League Division Series, the veteran designated hitter is eager to get back in the lineup.
Unfortunately, the decision isn’t entirely up to him. His body will need to cooperate in order for Martinez to rejoin the roster. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Martinez’s ankle injury looks “very bad.” While the update that there is no structural damage brings a sigh of relief, Martinez might be sidelined for a few more days, putting his status for the ALDS in doubt.
JD Martinez’s ankle is said to look very bad and he may not be able to play some more days but he is expected to fight to be on the roster. No structural damage is the good news. He may have to abandon the superstition to step on the 2B bag on his way out to the outfield though.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 6, 2021
The Red Sox travel to Tampa Bay to meet the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday. It doesn’t sound like Martinez will be ready to go by then but he’s expected to fight to be on the roster. A few more days of recovery could put his status for the first game or two in jeopardy but an off day on Saturday while the teams head to Boston buys him some extra time before Game 3.
If there’s a chance he could be ready for part of this series, the Red Sox need to put Martinez on the roster. Utilizing him as the DH mitigates the risk of the ankle flaring up during the game. If the pain is too much to tolerate for a full game, Martinez could be used to pinch-hit, then replace him with a pinch-runner if he gets on base (stand by, Jarren Duran).
The Red Sox plan to use a four-man rotation in the ALDS. Manager Alex Cora will also narrow his circle of trust in the bullpen. He’s proven that he won’t be shy about using members of his rotation in relief between starts, a practice he utilized to perfection during the 2018 championship run and deployed again during this year’s must-win regular season finale. If they don’t need as many bullpen arms to lean on, it makes it easier for the Red Sox to carry an extra bat on the bench.
Martinez injured the ankle during Sunday’s regular season finale in Washington when he tripped over the second base bag on his way to right field between innings. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious but if touching second base is part of his process, Martinez needs to reconsider his routine in the wake of this costly stumble. Now that we mention it, let’s just scratch the idea of sending Martinez out on the field in general. There’s a reason he’s typically a DH.
If Martinez misses any time in this upcoming series, expect Kyle Schwarber to take over the DH role. This allows the Red Sox to deploy their best defensive outfield alignment with Kike Hernandez in center field along with Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe on the corners. If Schwarber is the DH, Bobby Dalbec should be locked in at first base.
The defensive alignment gets more complicated when Martinez and Schwarber are both available. Cramming both defensively-challenged players into the same lineup with only one DH spot available has a price.
The upside that Martinez brings with his bat far outweighs the negatives the Red Sox risk on the defensive side. If the Red Sox intend to keep up with a Rays lineup that finished second in the majors in runs scored, they need their best bats available and they are undoubtedly better with Martinez in the lineup.