Andy

Marte

It’s uncertain how much time Marte will miss. Atlanta’s top prospect was batting .264/.338/.527 in 201 AB for Greenville.

It looks like Chipper Jones will avoid the disabled list with his shoulder injury, but if not, Marte would likely be recalled. He’ll definitely be back with the Braves in September.

Marte was held out of two of the previous three games, and he’s not going to be a true regular until he starts to hit. It shouldn’t be too long.

Both hits were singles, but he’ll gladly take it. Marte needs to continue hitting to ensure that he gets regular playing time, but he’s certainly talented enough for that to happen.

Marte is hitting .257 with just two homers and 13 RBI in 53 games. “I think it is a case of trying to make a positive impression in a new organization,” director of player development John Farrell said. “He’s gotten into good hitter’s counts, but has broken down fundamentally trying to drive the ball.” Any plans of replacing Aaron Boone midseason are probably out the window.

Marte had no home runs in April and just two in May, but he’s on a tear now. On the season, he’s batting .269/.333/.441. He was slugging .350 at the end of May.

Marte got off to a brutal start, but is now hitting .269 with 10 homers on the year. However, manager Eric Wedge indicated Monday that the Indians don’t have any immediate plans to bring Marte up.

All six of Marte’s homers have come since May 12. He’s up to .261/.331/.403 for Buffalo, and he only figures to get better.

This is the type of power that Marte is capable of. He was hitting just .122 with just one extra-base hit entering the game, so Marte needed a big performance to ensure that he keeps getting most of the starts at third base. He’s talented enough that a strong final six weeks can’t be ruled out, even with the initial struggles.

The top half of the Indians’ lineup struggled tonight, but Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, Hector Luna, Franklin Gutierrez, and Marte combined to go 12-for-21 with seven of the team’s eight RBI. Marte has three multi-hit games, including six extra-base hits, in his last five starts, so maybe he’s finally turing it around.