Published: Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tigers' Martinez injures knee, could miss entire season
DETROIT _ The Detroit Tigers on Tuesday announced that designated hitter Victor Martinez tore the ACL in his left knee during off-season conditioning last week and likely will miss the 2012 season.
Martinez hit .330 with 12 home runs and 103 RBIs in 145 games with the Tigers last season. He signed a $50-million, four-year contract before last season.
He batted No. 5 in the lineup throughout last season, and his absence leaves a big hole behind cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera.
Asked whether he will be looking to add a bat via free agency or trade, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said: "We're open to it, by all means. Victor is a key guy in our lineup.
"We do have flexibility with positions that players play with us. We could maneuver from within. However, we're open-minded to different alternatives to hitters who are available by free agency and trades. I've received numerous phone calls from agents in the last hour (since the news got out), looking to place their players.
"But we need to digest the situation. Then we'll go from there."
Asked to clarify the "flexibility" in the lineup, Dombrowski said:
"You have a guy like (Ryan) Raburn, who can play numerous positions. He can slide to the outfield, and you can use one of your outfielders as the DH. You've got (Ramon) Santiago, who can play second and short. You've got Donny Kelly, who can play a lot of outfield spots. Andy Dirks can play a lot of outfield spots. We've got a couple of outfielders who we feel can be DHs.
"When Gerald Laird catches, Alex Avila could DH for us. Jhonny Peralta could DH at times when we play Santiago at shortstop."
Martinez hurt this knee early last August and didn't return to catcher rest of year.
"We did tests (on his left knee at end of season), and he was cleared," Dombrowski said. "He was doing his off-season conditioning and was feeling fine."
Dombrowski called the news "a sock in the gut" and said "that's how (manager) Jim (Leyland) feels."
"You need to be resilient," Dombrowski said. "After you feel sorry for yourself for a day, you move on, and you start looking at your alternatives. You realize it's part of the game. You look at a club like St. Louis last year. They lost (ace pitcher) Adam Wainwright in spring training, and they won the world championship.
"We have a good club and have a lot of players who will step up. We still have a good club."
Regarding Martinez's reaction, Dombrowski said: "He is down _ there is no question about that. I talked to him this morning. He's down in the dumps. He loves to play the game, loves to be around it. He's a competitor. You know it hurts him when he gets this kind of news. He does everything he can to get himself in the lineup, as we've seen. So he's dejected."
Martinez hit .330 with 12 home runs and 103 RBIs in 145 games with the Tigers last season. He signed a $50-million, four-year contract before last season.
He batted No. 5 in the lineup throughout last season, and his absence leaves a big hole behind cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera.
Asked whether he will be looking to add a bat via free agency or trade, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said: "We're open to it, by all means. Victor is a key guy in our lineup.
"We do have flexibility with positions that players play with us. We could maneuver from within. However, we're open-minded to different alternatives to hitters who are available by free agency and trades. I've received numerous phone calls from agents in the last hour (since the news got out), looking to place their players.
"But we need to digest the situation. Then we'll go from there."
Asked to clarify the "flexibility" in the lineup, Dombrowski said:
"You have a guy like (Ryan) Raburn, who can play numerous positions. He can slide to the outfield, and you can use one of your outfielders as the DH. You've got (Ramon) Santiago, who can play second and short. You've got Donny Kelly, who can play a lot of outfield spots. Andy Dirks can play a lot of outfield spots. We've got a couple of outfielders who we feel can be DHs.
"When Gerald Laird catches, Alex Avila could DH for us. Jhonny Peralta could DH at times when we play Santiago at shortstop."
Martinez hurt this knee early last August and didn't return to catcher rest of year.
"We did tests (on his left knee at end of season), and he was cleared," Dombrowski said. "He was doing his off-season conditioning and was feeling fine."
Dombrowski called the news "a sock in the gut" and said "that's how (manager) Jim (Leyland) feels."
"You need to be resilient," Dombrowski said. "After you feel sorry for yourself for a day, you move on, and you start looking at your alternatives. You realize it's part of the game. You look at a club like St. Louis last year. They lost (ace pitcher) Adam Wainwright in spring training, and they won the world championship.
"We have a good club and have a lot of players who will step up. We still have a good club."
Regarding Martinez's reaction, Dombrowski said: "He is down _ there is no question about that. I talked to him this morning. He's down in the dumps. He loves to play the game, loves to be around it. He's a competitor. You know it hurts him when he gets this kind of news. He does everything he can to get himself in the lineup, as we've seen. So he's dejected."
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