After good news earlier in the day regarding arbitration and re-signing some solid players, the Detroit Tigers were hit with some bad news on Tuesday, as the team has announced that designated hitter Victor Martinez has sustained a torn ACL in his left knee and is likely lost for the entirety of the 2012 MLB season. The official Twiter for the league tweeted the announcement.
Martinez injured his left knee last week during offseason conditioning, according to a release from the team. An MRI on Monday revealed that it was an ACL tear, and he'll be re-evaluated in a week for surgery to repair the torn ligament. There's a chance it could not require surgery, but all signs point to it being needed once the swelling goes down, as is the usual case.
There's still DH players available for the Tigers to snatch up to limit the damage, but Martinez was one of the key contributors to the team and one of the best in that regard. He hit .330 with 40 doubles and 12 home runs to go with 103 runs batted in for the 2011 season.
For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.