JD Martinez Scratched From Red Sox Lineup After Back Flares up
By Sean Facey
Pretty much nothing is going the Boston Red Sox' way right now.
The team is looking to end an eight-game losing streak against the Royals on Monday, and they'll have to do it without slugger JD Martinez, who was scratched from the lineup after experiencing a back soreness flare up.
J.D.'s back has flared up again. He is out of the lineup.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) August 5, 2019
Martinez has been one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this year. Though he hasn't matched his absurd success from 2018 that helped him net two Silver Slugger awards in one season, he's still bashed 24 home runs and has posted a .914 OPS.
Even as his team struggles to stay in the playoff picture, Martinez has been on a hot streak, slashing .364/.455/.682 over his last 17 games.
In 2018, JD Martinez hit .386 with a .480 OBP with RISP.
— 12up (@12upSport) August 5, 2019
This year? .290 + .405.
With 2 outs and RISP last year, those numbers jump to .422 AND .543 (!!).
This year? .273 + .439.
Impossible to perform better than JD did last year in coin flip situations. 2019's different.
This isn't the first time back soreness has held him out of the lineup, though. He's been held out of the lineup due to this issue multiple times during the year, including just last week.
Hopefully for the Red Sox, his back issues settle down soon so he can get back into the lineup to help them salvage their rapidly dwindling playoff chances.