Sep 29, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
(Queens, NY) – Over this past weekend, J.D. Martinez recorded a hit. But not in Cincinnati for the New York Mets – rather for the Port St. Lucie Mets down in Florida.
And while there was hope Martinez would join the club for their road trip in Atlanta, that isn’t going to happen because the late-spring free agent signee is experiencing “overall body soreness.” That’s the word from Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
It’s hardly surprising that a 36-year-old player is dealing with some soreness after going unsigned for most of the offseason. But it’s also a disappointing delay to the start of Martinez’ season, given the Mets have been struggling to score runs and would benefit from an upgrade at DH. Incumbent DH DJ Stewart has yet to record a hit in 10 at bats. And the club’s 2.78 runs per game ranks 29/30 for the entire league – only the Chicago White Sox have struggled more offensively.
Mendoza, who obviously hasn’t seen much of Martinez in person given spring training has ended, remains in close contact with coaches and other staff down in Port St. Lucie: “… he played (Saturday) night and he’s going to be off the next couple of days. We’re not going to see him in Atlanta. That was the decision, he’s going to stay down in Port. St. Lucie and get more at-bats,” Mendoza explained as to the Mets’ thinking.
But the skipper doesn’t seem overly concerned by Martinez’ timeline: “It’s one of those things where he’s feeling it, body-wise. Like I said, quick ramp up, a lot of at-bats on the backfields, and now that he’s got to start playing in games and he’s got to go through his routine. Sitting down, waiting for his at-bats, it’s not like he’s hitting every inning. It’s going to take him a little bit longer. That’s why we’ve been saying it’s fluid, so we’ll see where we are next week.”
Apparently, other than feeling sore, Martinez indicates things are moving in the right direction. “Timing-wise, he’s feeling good,” Mendoza reported. “It’s just overall body soreness that every player goes through. Especially when a position player reports for spring training, that second week is the toughest one, especially when you start playing games and longer days and more activities and things like that, and that’s what he’s going through right now.”
The Mets are likely thinking – hurry up and get here – just not so fast that you get hurt. It is a 162-game season after all.
