TORONTO — There has been no shortage of promising news for the Blue Jays of late, but here’s another nugget for good measure—Russell Martin’s getting his legs back under him.
The catcher quietly battled a left hamstring injury for much of July and August, and was clearly hampered by the ailment earlier this month when running the bases. Martin said the soreness didn’t bother him when behind the plate, but it clearly affected his production, as the 32-year-old was hitting .197/.287/.326 in 37 games since the beginning of August coming into the Blue Jays’ weekend series against the Tigers.
But in his last two games Martin has gone 3-for-7 with two walks and two home runs and even attempted a stolen base in Friday’s series opener.
“If you see me trying to steal a base, it means my legs are feeling better,” Martin joked after Sunday’s game against Detroit. “My legs feel pretty good – as good as they’ve felt all year.”
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons has carefully managed Martin’s workload over the past couple weeks, giving the catcher several days off, especially ahead of off-days and when the Blue Jays play a day game following a night game. Martin says less time on the field, and more time in the trainer’s room, has done wonders for his body.
“Gibby’s done a great job of giving me enough rest to recover, which is hard to do during the season,” Martin said. “Sometimes I can be hard-headed and don’t really want to spend too much time in the trainer’s room, but it’s actually helped out a lot so I’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit.”
The Blue Jays will obviously need to lean on Martin going forward, as he’s the best defensive catcher on the team and brings a wealth of experience playing meaningful baseball down the stretch. Martin’s been to the post-season seven times in his career with three different teams, which is an incredibly valuable commodity to have in such an influential position on the diamond.
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The fact that Martin is showing signs of heating up at the plate as well is an added bonus for a team that already leads the majors in run production by a mile.
“I feel like I’m taking good swings. I still don’t really feel as good as I’ve felt this year at the plate, but I feel like I’m heading in the right direction,” Martin said. “I’ve had that nagging ailment for a while and I’ve hit with it and I haven’t hit with it. So, I feel like I can hit when I’m banged up or when I’m not banged up. But my body does feel pretty good right now and my swing’s starting to come around.”
Of course, Martin’s hamstring issues have been fickle over the last two years of his career and a flare-up is always possible. He went to the disabled list with a hamstring strain last April, missing 21 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and battled a similar issue last September as well, playing through it as Pittsburgh fought for a playoff spot.
But for now, Martin says he’s feeling rejuvenated, which can only come as a delight to Blue Jays fans enjoying the ride of his team’s breakout season.
“Right now, my legs feel as good as they’ve felt this year. So, knock on wood, let’s keep it there,” Martin says, literally knocking on the wooden panel of his clubhouse stall. “Hamstrings are funny. It comes and goes. But right now it feels great. I’m definitely happy about how it’s feeling right now.”
