It’s almost unbelievable to comprehend, but the Boston Red Sox have suffered yet another injury—their third in two days, in fact.
According to the Boston Globe‘s Peter Abraham, (click here for the article) catcher Victory Martinez, “has a fractured distal phalanx, which is the bone on the tip of his thumb.”
While it’s a bit of a surprise, Martinez may avoid the DL. Red Sox manager Terry Francona was quoted in the article as saying, “What bothered him today … it was swollen, he was having trouble getting it in his glove. It’s not a given that he’ll go on the DL. It’s not a given that he’s going to be OK, either. We’ll get him examined tomorrow and see where we go from there.”
Getting the glove on should not be the only concern. Can he swing a bat effectively with this type of injury?
Martinez is an incredibly risky play for the upcoming scoring period. Then again, he’s the type of hitter, especially at a shallow position, who is worth gambling on. Even if he only plays a game or two, the potential production from Martinez is greater then what his potential replacements could provide.
Even getting zeros from him for the week may be better then taking negative statistics if you are in a really deep league.
If he finds his way onto the DL, you can’t avoid Martinez’s lack of production for that long. Here are a few names that may be available, and could be viable replacements, for those in two-catcher formats.
Here are a few names to consider:
Jason Castro, Houston Astros—The rookie is a concern, for sure, but he has been hot out of the gates and gets regular playing time. Hopefully, you won’t need him for long, so you can catch lightning in a bottle for a few weeks.
Jason Varitek, Red Sox—He’s going to replace Martinez in the lineup, especially given the Red Sox’ current lack of depth at the position (their two Triple-A catchers are also on the DL). Of course, the Red Sox have long been rumored to be shopping for a catcher, so this could expedite the process.
Chris Iannetta, Colorado Rockies—He had a slow start and unfortunately hasn’t produced upon his return from Triple-A. Still, we all know the power is there, so he could be worth the gamble.
Clearly, it is pretty slim pickings.
Let’s hear who is actually available in your league to potentially replace Martinez with? Would you take the gamble on him this week?
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