QUEENS, NY — Mets veteran designated hitter JD Martinez was removed from Tuesday night’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics with a left elbow contusion after he was hit by a pitch.
Both the player and manager Carlos Mendoza said that he is day-to-day after initial X-rays came back negative with no need for further testing. Martinez was ahead 3-2 against A’s starter Joe Boyle in his first at-bat of the night in the second inning when he was plunked by a four-seam fastball measuring 99.6 mph.
“I’ve never been hit by 100 on my elbow like that before,” Martinez said. “I had never gotten hit there before. It was like a heat-seeking missile that kept coming at me.”
The 36-year-old was in clear discomfort as he jogged toward the Oakland dugout. He was checked by team doctors but decided to stay in the game and ultimately scored on a Jose Iglesias single.
“Once I got to second base I was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna be OK,'” Martinez said. “And then I ran and just [the motion] felt like I got hit again. There was pretty much no strength. That’s what it feels like.”
After attempting to hold a bat and swing, which he failed to do, he was lifted from the game before his next at-bat in the third inning, however, for Mark Vientos, who was nursing a sore ankle and had been shelved for Sunday’s game in Seattle against the Mariners.
Signing a one-year deal with the Mets one week before the start of the 2024 season, Martinez’s team debut was delayed by lingering back issues. In 87 games, he was batting .257 with .779 OPS, 12 home runs, and 53 RBI. After a hot start to June that saw his average climb to as high as .292, he has cooled off significantly, batting .212 with a .657 OPS in his previous 38 games.
For more on JD Martinez and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
