In an effort to shake up the lineup, catcher Russell Martin will start at third base for the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Josh Donaldson, the team’s regular starting third baseman, is still out with a calf injury.
Though rare, playing on the hot corner isn’t completely foreign to Martin and the 34-year-old even made one appearance at third for the Blue Jays in 2016. Martin has 10 career starts at third base—eight with the Dodgers in 2008 and two with the Pirates in 2013—and 96.1 total MLB innings of experience playing there. His career fielding percentage at the position is .886.
Martin is hitting .180/.339/.320/.659 with two home runs in 50 at-bats through 15 games this season. His .180 batting average is trending to be the worst of his 12-year career, however his .339 on-base percentage currently leads the Blue Jays.
Toronto has a league worst 5-14 record and coming off a split against the Angels. Tuesday game against the Cardinals begins at 8:15 p.m. ET with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet One.
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