Angel

Martínez

Martinez got to lead off today in spite of a .257 OBP against lefties and a .275 mark overall, but it worked. The homer off Carlos Rodón was his 11th of the year. He also has nine steals, so he’s been rather useful in fantasy leagues in spite of his .240 average. It seems like he should be doing better than that, but the BABIP gods have never been kind to him; he’s at .264 right now after finishing at .274 in 43 games in 2024 and .271 in 139 games last year.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 24-year-old outfielder. Daniel Schneemann will start in his place in center field and will bat sixth for the Guardians against Rangers’ right-hander Kumar Rocker.

Martínez is in right field and hitting fifth at Yankee Stadium following a brief one-game absence due to left foot inflammation. The 24-year-old slugger underwent an MRI over the weekend that didn’t reveal any structural damage and he’s been given the green light to return to action.

The 24-year-old outfielder was removed from Saturday’s contest due to inflammation in his left foot — an injury that has bothered him for a while and flared up on Saturday. He was sent for an MRI exam, the results of which are not yet known. David Fry will start in his place in left field on Sunday and will bat fifth for the Guardians against Red Sox’ left-hander Ranger Suarez.

Martínez said the problem developed earlier in the week and that he aggravated it today. If he’s forced to the injured list, the Guardians could call up CJ Kayfus or George Valera to step in as a left fielder against right-handers.

Stuart Fairchild replaced him to begin the fifth. Martínez struck out in both of his at-bats against Sonny Gray before departing. He’s probably day-to-day, but if this turns into an IL situation, then CJ Kayfus or George Valera could be recalled.

Martínez smacked a bases-loaded single to right-center field against Red Sox lefty Tyler Samaniego in the first inning, which led to an additional run scoring on the play when center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela bobbled the ball while picking it up. He also made a phenomenal throw to cut down Mickey Gasper at the plate in the ensuing frame, which ended up being one of the key plays in a low-scoring affair.

In the fifth inning, Martínez scored on a Rhys Hoskins sacrifice fly. In the next inning, he drove in a run to put the Guardians up 5-1. The 24-year-old outfielder hit leadoff with the Guardians facing left-handed starter Framber Valdez. He’s hitting .270 with 23 runs scored, nine home runs, 25 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Martínez’s homer off Pierce Johnson in the seventh gave the Guardians a 6-4 lead. He’s homered three times in four games to up his season line to .266/.313/.496. Martínez wasn’t the choice to step into the leadoff spot against a righty after Steven Kwan’s demotion tonight, but at least he’s staying in the lineup, and he’ll probably hit first or second against lefties. He’s a solid choice in mixed leagues right now.

He also stole two bases, bringing his season total to eight. Martínez was leading off on a rare day off for Steven Kwan today. There’s a good argument for the Guardians making a more permanent switch in the leadoff spot with Kwan hitting just .206/.311/.265, but Martínez probably isn’t the right man for the job; he’s walked only five times in 143 plate appearances this season and has a .281 career OBP (.300 this season). Still, it’d make Martínez a pretty attractive option in shallow leagues if he could convince the Guardians to bat him first or second regularly. He has started eighth of the team’s last 10 games.