The Boston Red Sox designated hitter has not participated in spring training recently due to the stomach virus.
We are officially one week away from MLB Opening Day. Teams are making decisions in regards to their 40-man rosters and players are getting ready before the start of the regular-season. At Boston Red Sox camp, designated hitter J.D. Martinez has been absent in recent days. We now know the reason why.
While speaking with the media on Thursday, manager Alex Cora said Martinez has been out of the lineup because he caught a stomach virus after eating bad sushi. That was when Cora decided to provide some details about Martinez’s stomach bug.
Red Sox: J.D. Martinez absent from Boston’s spring training due to stomach virus
Did we need to know those explicit details? No, not really. But Cora was being honest, we will give him that.
In addition to Cora’s public medical evaluation of Martinez, he did say that the designated hitter is set to participate in hitting today by himself. So there is that.
Martinez is looking to bounce back from a rather down 2020 campaign, where he slashed .213/.291/.389 while recording seven home runs, 27 RBI and 45 hits. Granted, it was difficult for players to get into a groove since it was a 60-game campaign. In fact, Martinez told WEEI earlier this week that he is “tired of being judged on two months.” He is looking to show the world that he can still put up the numbers like he did in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Martinez has put up respectable numbers this spring. In 14 exhibition games, Martinez has recorded a .268 batting average, a .653 OPS, 11 hits, five RBI and five runs scored in 44 at-bats. The last game Martinez participated in was on March 23 against the Atlanta Braves.
For those Red Sox fans wondering if Martinez was dealing with an injury, the answer is no. It was only a stomach bug.