The Los Angeles Dodgers again were without J.D. Martinez on Thursday night as he was scratched from the lineup due to left hamstring tightness. It occurred two days after Martinez returned from a six-game absence because of the lingering injury.
“I’m frustrated,” Martinez said after the game, but then allowing for some optimism. “I’m confident it’s not my back anymore. We were kind of just guessing. I think it’s more the adductor, and it’s just like a muscle injury. Obviously it’s frustrating, because I was excited to get back out there and all of a sudden it just flares up again.
“It wasn’t bad, but I felt it a little bit in my second-to-last swing of BP. They were just being cautious with it. I said I could play through it but they wanted to be safe. I’ll be back in there tomorrow, hopefully. I’m kind of ready to put it behind me. It keeps lingering.”
Upon getting removed from the lineup on August 8, Martinez returned from the road trip early and was administered an epidural injection. There was an initial expectation the veteran slugger would return during the Colorado Rockies series last weekend, but the Dodgers wound up taking more precaution.
They also believed the epidural Martinez received was going to be enough to keep their All-Star designated hitter healthy for the remainder of the season.
“I think we’re all on the same page now. They were guessing it was my back, but we did the epidural. Not because we saw anything was wrong, but we thought let’s take a shot and it might be it,” Martinez explained. “But clearly it wasn’t. So it’s kind of one of those things where it’s more soft tissue.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the latest trouble was more minor than previous instances, which he considered a silver lining. However, Roberts also allowed for some concern amid uncertainty over how to best manage — or prevent — Martinez from succumbing to the injury at a moment’s notice.
Since July 23, Martinez has only appeared in nine (eight starts) of the Dodgers’ 36 games.
J.D. Martinez injury history
The Dodgers placed Martinez on the 10-day injured list on April 28 due to lower back tightness. Martinez’s IL stint was retroactive to April 25, and he missed three consecutive games before the Dodgers made the roster move. Martinez was activated on May 12.
Martinez’s leg trouble began on July 23, when he was scratched from the series finale against the Texas Rangers minutes before first pitch. However, the 35-year-old was back in the lineup two days later and he started five games in a row.
That stretch technically included being in the lineup on July 30 but Martinez was removed before taking an at-bat because of the same left groin/adductor issue. He was unavailable for three games before being used as a pinch-hitter against the San Diego Padres on August 4.
Martinez then started the next two games at Petco Park, received an off day and was in the lineup for the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He again was a late scratch and at that point returned to Los Angeles for an MRI and epidural shot.
Martinez missed six games prior to starting in consecutive contests against the Brewers.
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