DETROIT — Victor Martinez has come back to Detroit. His return to the lineup remains a mystery.
Martinez, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 19 with left knee inflammation, was back in the Tigers’ clubhouse after going through a rehab program at the team’s spring training facility in Lakeland, Fla. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in February to repair torn meniscus in his left knee and was bothered by knee pain during the first seven weeks of the season. The switch-hitting designated hitter was batting .141 from the left side because of his inability to drive off his back leg.
He took two batting practices sessions in Lakeland and will take more BP in the coming days. He’ll also try to show he can run the bases without any pain. Once he reaches that point, he’ll likely require a minor league rehab assignment to get some at-bats.
“I feel way better than when I left, no doubt about it, but I don’t know the time(table),” he said. “I’m able to put a lot more weight on it. I just want to be here and keep doing my stuff here with the guys. Good or bad, I want to be part of it. It’s tough for me to be away.”
Manager Brad Ausmus will know Martinez is ready to play again by the spring in his step. The video he saw from Martinez’s Lakeland sessions was encouraging.
“There’s not a huge build-up process,” Ausmus said. “I was actually more curious how he looked running. There were times here, even when he didn’t feel great, that he looked normal in BP.”
Having Martinez return to 2014 form would go a long way toward solving the Tigers’ offensive issues. He batted .335 with a career-high 32 home runs and 103 RBIs, providing ideal lineup protection to Miguel Cabrera.
But the 36-year-old Martinez is resigned to the fact he’ll have to monitor his knee closely in the long term.
“This is something I have to work through the rest of my career,” he said. “It’s my third surgery in that same knee and it’s something you just can’t forget about. Even if you feel good, that’s when I believe the problems start coming again. You start feeling good, you lay off a little bit and here it comes again.”