Over this past weekend, New York Mets utility man Jose Martinez finally began a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie. He played three innings in right field and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout at the plate.
This was his first game action since way back on March 7 in Spring Training. Martinez was playing first, and ranged over to his left for a hard-hit ball, but stumbled and bumped into the umpire.
The Mets initially called the injury a twisted knee, but after further evaluation, Martinez suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and was headed for surgery. Now five months later, Martinez is finally back out there and ready to roll.
Mets manager Luis Rojas said the plan was for Martinez to get two at-bats on Sunday afternoon, which he did. Following the off-day on Monday, Martinez will play Tuesday night and ramp up a little more followed by another off-day on Wednesday.
They’ll then evaluate how he does throughout the rest of the week, but the Mets hope to have him back soon. Rojas said the team just wants to be sure Martinez is fully healthy and capable of making all the necessary plays in the field before he returns.
Martinez is expected to play both corner outfield positions, as well as some first base during his rehab appearances. What Rojas says he’s most looking forward to is the addition of Martinez’s bat to the Mets lineup against left-handed pitching.
“It will be nice to have that bat soon, especially against left-handed pitching. We’ve struggled against lefties this season. We want to improve on that. To have that right-handed bat that can hit well against lefties as he has historically, it will be nice,” the skipper said.
During his five-year big-league career, Martinez is a .289 hitter with a 116 OPS+ and .803 OPS. He has crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .307 average, .915 OPS, 16 homers, and 22 doubles over that span.
As Rojas mentioned, the Mets have really struggled as a unit against southpaws this season. Starting right-fielder Michael Conforto has been one of the biggest culprits, sporting a dreadful .476 OPS against southpaws.
Although he’s certainly not alone, as the Mets are hitting just .224 with a .636 OPS, and are 12-23 in games started by a left-handed pitcher this season. While Martinez may not be the complete answer, he can certainly help provide a nice little boost.
Martinez struggled in stints with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs during the 2020 pandemic shortened season, but he has generally been a very reliable above-average bat during his career.
Martinez is another fiery and high-energy player, if he can prove he is ready to roll sooner rather than later, he may be able to provide a much-needed spark to this struggling Mets lineup.
