As the Los Angeles Dodgers were still awaiting the returns of Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu, they lost Russell Martin to the 10-day injured list because of lower back inflammation.
There wasn’t much concern over the injury, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts conveying Martin informed him in the past it’s typically only taken one week to recover. The veteran catcher also dealt with back discomfort during Spring Training as a result of overworking in the batting cage.
Martin was slow to resume baseball activities, and Roberts said less than one week ago a timeline for his return was unclear. Martin has since began throwing long toss and participating in a portion of batting practice.
He was building toward a rehab assignment this week, but the Dodgers have reversed course ahead of expecting to activate Martin at some point during the series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, per Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA:
Russell Martin will go with team to Chicago. He’ll catch bullpens & then participate in simulated game on Friday in LA. No rehab assignment. He’ll be activated during Pittsburgh series this weekend in LA.
— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) April 21, 2019
Martin only appeared in six games (five starts) prior to landing on the IL, going 5-for-15 (.333) with one home run and two RBI in six games. He also pitched in the ninth inning of a Dodgers’ blowout win, making MLB history in the process.
Martin and the Dodgers are counting on a bounce-back season after he set career lows in multiple categories last year with the Toronto Blue Jays. While his time on the field has been limited thus far, Roberts raved about Martin’s work with the pitch staff and his presence in the clubhouse.
