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Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez forced to depart following HBP to right knee

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Thomas Hall | Last updated 5/11/24

Infielder Orelvis Martinez left Friday’s Triple-A Buffalo game after being hit on his right knee by an 81.7-m.p.h. slider in the eighth inning of a 12-7 Bisons victory.

Martinez, the Toronto Blue Jays’ No. 2 top prospect per MLB Pipeline, didn’t start the contest but entered as a pinch-hitter with one out in the eighth. He took a pair of changeups before a back-foot slider broke toward him, catching his right knee before he could react quickly enough to dodge it.

The 22-year-old dropped to a knee for several moments while he attempted to shake off the effects of the hit-by-pitch. Though he tried to remain in the game, manager Casey Candaele decided to remove his injured second baseman, who was still in visible pain afterwards, according to MLB.com’s Julia Kreuz.

Orelvis Martinez exited the Bisons' game after being hit in the right knee by a breaking ball. Looked like he wanted to stay in, but he was removed after a couple of gingerly steps to first base.

Martinez has a .910 OPS, 9 homers and 27 RBIs at Triple-A this season.

— Julia Kreuz (@juliackreuz) May 11, 2024

The Bisons didn’t provide any further updates regarding Martinez’s status post-game. But it is worth noting he wasn’t listed in the club’s starting lineup for Saturday’s contest versus the Worcester Red Sox.

Spencer Horwitz is pencilled in at second base again, making his third start at that position — his second in as many days — already matching his 2023 season total.

Losing Martinez for any amount of time would be a significant loss for Buffalo’s offence, as the right-handed-hitting slugger has crushed nine home runs and driven in 27 while slashing .276/.359/.551 across 34 games this season. He owns a 130 wRC+, putting the youngster 30 per-cent above league average.

Toronto’s highly-skilled offensive phenom rattled off a career-best 15-game hitting streak last month, recording 22 hits in 61 at-bats, 12 of which went for extra bases.

One of the few things holding him back from a major-league promotion is likely his defence, as he’s committed 10 errors in 26 starts at second base thus far, suggesting he requires additional development in his first full season roaming the right side of the infield instead of the left.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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