J.D. Martinez was unavailable for Tuesday’s AL wild-card game due to an ankle injury. His status for the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays is not known at this moment.
So, how did Martinez hurt his ankle? We have video of the situation.
Martinez suffered his ankle injury when he twisted it while stepping on second base during the Boston Red Sox’s regular-season finale against the Washington Nationals.
Martinez superstitiously steps on second base while heading out to his position. That’s not an unusual superstition for a player; many also jump over the first and/or third base lines.
Martinez had immediate swelling in his ankle and was unable to play on Tuesday. Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday that Martinez’s ankle does not look good.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi shared video of Martinez testing his ankle at Tropicana Field on Wednesday ahead of Game of the ALDS.
Martinez also played coy regarding his status for the series.
The Red Sox have a difficult decision to make regarding Martinez. They need to finalize their roster for the ALDS against the Rays. They won’t want Martinez to use up one of the spots that could go to another player if he won’t be able to play. But if they get the sense that he will be available sometime soon, they will probably want him on the roster.
Martinez batted .286 with an .867 OPS this season. He slugged 42 doubles and 28 home runs for Boston.
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