Sidelined since the second week of April with lower back inflammation, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin has made strides in his recovery and could be inching closer to returning to the field.
The 36-year-old has already resumed participating in baseball-related activities, and it was recently determined by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that Martin will not need a Minor League rehab assignment upon being activated from the 10-day injured list.
Despite that bit of good news, Martin still needs to clear another hurdle before rejoining the club. Roberts revealed that the 14-year veteran will catch in a simulated game on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Should all go well, the expectation is that Martin will be activated for the final two games of the Dodgers’ three-game matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Roberts said Martin will catch a simulated game Friday at Dodger Stadium and, as long as there are no issues, will be activated for the final two games of the series against the Pirates.
Martin’s imminent return will likely prove beneficial for fellow catcher Austin Barnes, who has struggled at the plate since taking on an increased workload in his absence.
In just six games this season, Martin is hitting .333/.500/.600 with one double, one home run and two RBI over 22 plate appearances. He has additionally drawn more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) and even tossed a scoreless inning of relief before his injury.
