Martin joins crowded DL with nerve problem
On Monday, prior to the muchanticipated Edwin Encarnacion love-fest at the Rogers Centre, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin was unexpectedly added to the list of the team’s walking wounded.
The durable 34-year-old was placed on the 10-day disabled list with head-scratching nerve issues in his left shoulder.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit of pulling in the front where the pec is,” Martin said. “It’s strange, a little bit scary, but hopefully in a few days it’s past me and (the strength) comes back. I’ve never had to deal with nerve issues before. It’s strictly like a feeling of lack of strength in the shoulder. It’s weird. I wish it was pain and I could just battle through it, but that’s not the case.”
The Jays have seven players earning an astounding $72 million this season on the disabled list, including Martin, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, third baseman Josh Donaldson, left-hander J.A. Happ and righthander Aaron Sanchez.
In a column written earlier this spring, it was suggested that any list of the five players the Jays could least afford to lose to injury would include Donaldson at No. 1, Martin at No. 3 and Sanchez at No. 5.
Fully one-third of the Jays’ regular starting lineup is missing in action, and right fielder Jose Bautista is slumping badly. It makes the defection of the highly revered Encarnacion to the Indians seem that much harder to take for fans.
The Jays, after a horrible start, have played around .500 ball over the past 19 games.
Injuries suggest they must hope to at least be treading water when the cavalry arrives — first Sanchez (blister) and Tulowitzki (right hamstring), likely by next weekend. Donaldson (right calf ) will take a little longer, while Happ (left forearm) has no timetable.
“You hold your own until you get those guys back,” realistic manager John Gibbons suggested. “See what happens from there. I think I would be very happy with that. We can play some nail-biters, though, I can tell you that.”
The Martin situation comes at a bad time, just as he was starting to heat up at the plate. He had been battling the unexplained feeling of weakness in his left shoulder all season, but when he collided with Tim Beckham of the Rays in a collision at home plate last week, slow motion replays showed Martin’s head snapping back after he tossed aside his mask.
It was a play that he feels aggravated the injury.
“It’s something that we were taking care of in spring and kind of got over the hump,” Martin said. “Then it’s something that came back and that (collision) could be the reason. At first I felt I was using a different glove, a heavier glove and my shoul- der was fatiguing because of the heavier glove. My reaction was, ‘OK I’m going to try and get a lighter glove and see if that helps.’ Got some treatment, changed my glove and things were getting better. I was definitely happy about that.”
But the situation came to a head against Tampa Bay on Sunday. There was an outside fastball up and out of the strike zone, with a runner stealing. Martin stabbed the ball over his head, but was unable to get himself in position to throw. The look of frustration on camera was partly bewilderment. That moment has led to this.
“It wasn’t a look of frustration because I didn’t get the play done,” Martin said. “It’s partly that, but partly knowing that I can make that play easily, normally. You just lift up your arm and catch the ball, you transfer and you throw. That was as frustrating of a play for me, knowing why it’s happening.”
So now the Jays’ two active catchers, a week after releasing Jarrod Saltalamachhia, are Luke Maile and Mike Ohlman, who had been catching at Triple-A Buffalo after eight seasons of toiling in the minor leagues. Maile was picked up on waivers from the Rays and Ohlman was an invitee to Jays spring training. These are tough times, so realistically how long does Martin expect to be sidelined?
“They say it’s more of a rest thing,” Martin said. “Right now, they just want to keep me from doing too much. But I can do other things. I can work on my throwing arm. I’ll be able to keep moving and definitely want to keep my mind in tune with the game. I’m a gamer, man. I want to be involved and I don’t need mental days off. I want to keep helping the team in any way that I can. It’s just physically I’m not capable of doing that right now.”
Meanwhile, the reception for Encarnacion was as expected. The Rogers Centre crowd gave him a huge ovation when his name was announced. But for Gibbons, who appreciated the offence that he provided when he was here, it’s not Edwin he misses as much as the three regulars in his lineup, plus a needed return to productivity for Double-E’s former running mate, the past eight seasons, Bautista.