After being out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the entire series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, J.D. Martinez was put on the 10-day injured list Friday due to lower back tightness.
Martinez said he first felt the back pain when running out of batter’s box during the series finale against the Chicago Cubs. However, stayed in the game and even managed to muster a home run off Marcus Stroman.
Although Martinez continued playing — and had success — it was a decision he now regrets.
“I probably should have said something, but didn’t. Honestly, I was just being dumb, trying to be a hero, tried to weather it out,” Martinez said. “I should have spoken up sooner. It probably would’ve saved me, but it’s one of those things where I irritated it, and now I have to wait until it calms down.”
Now Martinez said he’s now doing whatever is possible without suffering a setback during his recovery.
“I’m trying to play it smart, see what I can do, see what hurts, see what doesn’t,” Martinez added. “Doing my exercises for core strength and just try to avoid as much pain as I can while the inflammation dies out.”
As Martinez noted, it’s possible that if he mentioned the back pain earlier, a trip to the IL could have been avoided or, at least, lessened his time on it. The latest stint marks the eighth time in his career Martinez been on the IL due to his back.
The Dodgers initially hoped it wouldn’t come to placing Martinez on the IL, as losing him would have a negative effect on the lineup.
When can J.D. Martinez return?
In maximizing the three days an IL stint can be backdated, Martinez’s time technically began April 5. That leaves him eligible to return May 5 at the earliest.
It coincides with when the Dodgers begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Martinez is batting .250/.309/.512 with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 RBI and a 120 wRC+ in 92 plate appearances across 23 games this season.
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