When Detroit Tigers catcher Victor Martinez went down in January with a torn ACL, hope sprang eternal that the club might get one of its best hitters back for a postseason run. That optimism is dwindling as September nears, though, writes Chris Iott of MLive.
Manager Jim Leyland has always been bearish regarding Martinez's odds of returning this season, and now that pessimism is beginning to permeate throughout the organization. On Monday, Tigers trainer Kevin Rand told reporters, "He's basically running out of time. That's where we're at. He has not been cleared to start a running progression yet."
As Iott notes, the Tigers were initially hoping to have Martinez on a running program by early August, which would allow for a possible return in mid-to-late September. Considering that V-Mart hasn't even began such a program yet, it's becoming increasingly likely that he won't take the field again until 2013, the third year of his four-year contract with the team.
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