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Tigers to place Victor Martinez on the disabled list

By Stanford Crissey

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The Detroit Tigers are likely to place Victor Martinez on the disabled list with knee problems.

Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez is headed back to the disabled list with knee problems. At least, that’s “likely” where he’s headed.

According to a report by Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, Martinez is “likely” going to spend some time on the disabled list due to ongoing knee problems. There is no more concrete information at this time, and there has been no annoucement from the team so far.

Last year, Martinez hit .335 with 32 homers and a .974 OPS, striking out just 42 times in 641 plate appearances. This led to a second-place finish in the MVP voting behind winner Mike Trout. However, Martinez’s production has plummeted this season, as he has posted a .578 OPS with just one home run so far.

All in all, it’s not a great start for Martinez on his new contract. The Tigers signed V-Mart to a 4-year, $56 million contract in the offseason, despite the fact that he’s a 36-year-old full-time DH. The contract probably wasn’t the smartest idea anyway, but they probably at least thought they’d get good production from the first couple of years. Starting off with a poor April followed by a knee-related DL stint doesn’t bode well for the contract’s eventual value.

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For his career (13 years and counting between Cleveland, Boston, and Detroit), Martinez has a .371 on-base percentage, a .471 slugging percentage, and 190 home runs. Martinez is a four-time All-Star who spent most of his career at catcher before transitioning to DH with the Tigers.

Last year, he had an unexpected career year at age 35. His on-base percentage of .409 led the league, as did his OPS of .974, both of which were career highs. He also posted a career low in strikeouts (over a full season), as well as career bests in slugging, intentional walks, home runs, and batting average. It was a very unexpected Barry Bonds-esque late-career breakout for a player who had always been good, but never an elite hitter.

The Tigers bet big over the winter that this sudden breakout was no fluke. Yet Martinez is hardly the most durable player (he missed all of 2012 with a knee injury), and this year he just hasn’t looked the same. He has struggled to put weight on his knee, which has affected him at the plate.

The Tigers had better hope that some time for rest and recovery on the DL will bring back the old Martinez, because if not, it’ll be a long four years.

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