After going down in pain after being tagged at home plate, Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez looked like he could be out for a while. Although nothing was known immediately about what the injury was, the first impression was that Martinez was in serious pain and could have damaged his knee.
While Martinez says that he experienced a "sharp" pain in his left knee as he tried to avoid the tag, the good news is that it was already going away once he got back to the clubhouse. The Tigers described the injury as only a left knee sprain, and Jim Leyland feels good enough about it that he isn't ruling out Tuesday night as Martinez's return to the lineup.
"I got a good feeling about it when I saw him walking to the bus this morning," said manager Jim Leyland on Sunday. "It was pretty much normal.
The Tigers have Monday off and then play the Indians on Tuesday night. Considering how important the series will be, it would be nice to have Martinez back in the lineup. The Tigers obviously don't want to rush him back, but considering the injury doesn't appear to be too serious, Martinez may only end up missing one game when all is said and done.