Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Wants to Be Extra Cautious With JD Martinez Injury
It was another scratch for slugger J.D. Martinez on Thursday prior to the Dodgers game against the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been dealing with groin tightness for quite some time now, but the team hasn’t put him on the injured list yet.
The hope is that he can rest to allow it to heal, but at least so far, that isn’t working. It seems to be lingering around, and the Dodgers can’t afford to have him miss too much time.
They need him come playoff time, so they are being extra cautious with the injury. Manager Dave Roberts said that he was the one who decided to pull Martinez from the lineup on Thursday.
“He wanted to be in there, but I decided that he shouldn’t,” Roberts said. “Where we’re at, where our guys have put us in this position, I just wanted to be more cautiously safe.”
Per SNLA
Adding in the fact that Martinez is an older player, the Dodgers are playing this safe. They don’t want to have him make the injury any worse, and then miss significant time.
Apparently, this groin tightness is less severe than it was previously that saw Martinez miss over a week earlier in the month. He is listed as day-to-day right now.
The veteran slugger spoke on the injury, providing some glimpse of hope.
“If it was the end of September, I’d be like, ‘We have to tough it out,’” said Martinez. “But we have some time now. And I want to be ready for the stretch down the road. So I’m gonna stay positive with it. It feels great now. So let’s see how it goes tomorrow and just build from there, really.”
Per The LA Times
On the season, Martinez has been one of the biggest contributors to the Dodgers success. After signing a one-year prove-it deal, Martinez has boosted his value completely and the Dodgers got a bargain signing.
He is currently hitting .258 with 25 home runs and 78 runs batted in. Martinez has been key to the Dodgers offense, so they need him down the stretch. He brings an added power element to the team, so playing this cautious is the smart move.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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