The Los Angeles Dodgers activated J.D. Martinez from the 10-day injured list and optioned Michael Busch to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the active roster.
Martinez was placed on the IL on August 22 due to left groin tightness, which he was dealing with for roughly one month before the Dodgers made the roster move.
Martinez first began to suffer from the lingering injury on July 23 when he was scratched from the series finale against the Texas Rangers just minutes before the first pitch.
From there, the 36-year-old was a late scratch from the lineup numerous times, and he was also removed on July 30 before making a single plate appearance.
After being a late-scratch on August 8, Martinez was treated with an epidural injection. That caused the designated hitter to miss six games before returning to the Dodgers lineup, but he was scratched again on August 17 before playing in consecutive games following that.
Before landing on the IL, Martinez made changes to his pregame routine and stride direction to see if that would help alleviate some of the discomfort.
The club originally hoped to keep him off the IL, but they decided the best course of action was to give him some time off with the postseason closing in.
The decision came after it was determined Martinez was compromised with his swing, and they felt he would not be able to perform to expectations.
Martinez has been in the midst of a resurgent season which saw him earn a selection to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. He’s batted 256/.309/.547 with 23 doubles, 25 home runs and 78 RBI in 390 plate appearances across 92 games.
Dodgers option Michael Busch
Busch was originally recalled when Martinez was placed on the IL in what marked his third stint with the Dodgers.
The top prospect struggled without consistent playing time in his first two stretches with the team, and that continued into his most recent stint.
In 72 at-bats at the Major League level, Busch is hitting .167 with a .539 on-base plus slugging, but he did hit his first career home run, and added one more as well.
Prior to being recalled, Busch was tearing the cover off the ball in for Oklahoma City, winning Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for July and was on pace to win it again in August.
By optioning Busch, the Dodgers kept Kolten Wong on their active roster. Though, it wasn’t much of a surprise as Wong would need to be designated for assignment and thus potentially be lost on waivers.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
