Victor Martinez RUMORS & NEWS

Detroit Free Press "With the designated hitter not in use in the National League, the Tigers will have Victor Martinez available as a pinch-hitter for the two games against the Nationals. “Just be ready for that AB,” Martinez said before Tuesday night’s game at Nationals Park was postponed by rain. “He can hit,..." May 08

Detroit News "Now, the Nationals. And now, there will be no Victor Martinez. Not in the starting lineup, anyway, as the Tigers move to Nationals Park for Tuesday-Wednesday games against a National League team that, because it is playing at home and observes league rules, won't be using the designated..." May 06

Detroit Free Press "Victor Martinez is working hard. Both of him. Like all switch-hitters, Martinez is really two hitters: the right-handed hitter and the left-handed hitter. Both require constant maintenance. One can be cold and the other can be hot. Right now for Martinez, both are cold: Left-handed, he’s..." April 23

Detroit News "Designated hitter Victor Martinez is out of the lineup for the Tigers and is listed as day-to-day because he cut his right thumb on the bat rack. The cut, sustained on Sunday, required eight stitches. Andy Dirks was penciled into the Tigers' lineup as the designated hitter for the game on..." April 09

Detroit Free Press "Some Opening Day perspectives on the Tigers' lineup for today: Austin Jackson, centerfielder. It's his fourth Opening Day in the majors -- and his fourth as the leadoff hitter and centerfielder. In both roles he succeeded Curtis Granderson. Torii Hunter, rightfielder. He makes his Tigers..." April 01

Michigan Live "Tigers manager Jim Leyland isn't ruling it out. Victor Martinez will enter the season as the club's everyday designated hitter, but when interleague play rolls around, there's a "strong possibility" he could start at catcher. That's all Leyland is willing to consider right now. "Eventually,..." March 22

Michigan Live "Question: How many games will Victor Martinez start at catcher? James Schmehl: Martinez wants to catch this year. He worked out in catcher's gear in workouts and claims he'll be ready when called upon. My guess? That call won't come. Barring an emergency scenario, Martinez won't see playing..." March 06

SportingNews.com "When tallying the reasons the Detroit Tigers are the overwhelming favorites to repeat as AL Central champions, you start with the presence of Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Then you can factor in the arrival of Torii Hunter and the return of Anibal Sanchez. And don’t forget the emergence..." March 06

Detroit News "It was planned all along. That's Leyland said about Victor Martinez getting the extended amount of time out of the lineup that he's now getting. Three games and four days, in other words. Martinez — who missed all of 2012 because of left knee surgery but said as recently as Saturday that..." March 04

Detroit News "His absence from the Tigers lineup for Saturday's and Sunday's games is ominous, but Victor Martinez insisted Saturday that all is well with his recovering left knee. "Everything's perfect," the Tigers designated hitter said Saturday morning in the Tigers clubhouse. Martinez was removed from..." March 03

Detroit Free Press "It is dark when Victor Martinez arrives at Joker Marchant Stadium every morning. And quiet -- not too many major leaguers enter the clubhouse at 6 a.m. this time of the year. There is a reason Martinez's swing has looked smooth and powerful this spring training -- a year after suffering a torn..." March 03

Detroit News "Not even Victor Martinez could have known what Victor Martinez and the Tigers were getting when a skilled hitter and a needy team were reunited ahead of spring camp. It wasn't blasphemy to wonder if the guy they call V-Mart might be creaky from a year layoff and a 34th birthday. Science tells..." February 25

Detroit Free Press "In his 1960 essay on Ted Williams, John Updike touched on how Williams always could hit after he'd had a long absence, either for military service or because of an injury: "... yet he always came back, and always looked like himself. The delicate mechanism of timing and power seemed locked,..." February 25

Detroit Free Press "Bruce Rondon, a rookie trying to become the Tigers' closer, stood on the mound at Joker Marchant Stadium on Saturday in his first spring training game. Rondon already had walked one and hit the umpire on the leg with another pitch when Toronto catcher Josh Thole stepped into the batter's..." February 24

Detroit News "Picture this: In his first at-bat on Friday against the Atlanta Braves, Victor Martinez hits a gapper. He's fine rounding first, fine heading into second and might even have a shot at third. What does he do? If you were a coach, for that matter, what would you do? Would you automatically stop..." February 22

Michigan Live "It had been more than 16 months since Victor Martinez had last faced live pitching in a game situation. He said Friday afternoon that it felt like the first time. "I don't know how to explain it," Martinez said. "It was like I was just called up to the big leagues all over..." February 22

Detroit Free Press "Victor Martinez is due to bat for the Detroit Tigers on Friday for the first time in 496 days. The last time he did so was in the final game of the 2011 AL championship series in Texas. Three months later, in January of last year, Martinez tore up his knee while working out. He missed the..." February 21

Detroit News "Victor Martinez is looking forward to it all. The 20-minute drive from his house outside of Orlando to the Braves' ballpark in Lake Buena Vista; putting on his uniform for the Tigers' first exhibition game — but most of all, playing in his first game of any kind in more than a year after a knee..." February 21

Michigan Live "In 2011, the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers hit .330 with 12 home runs, 103 RBIs and an .850 OPS. In 2012, the designated hitter for the Tigers hit .267 with 18 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .707 OPS. In 2013, the designated hitter for the Tigers is very likely to post numbers somewhere..." February 14

Bless You Boys "That January day when we learned of Victor Martinez's knee injury was a worrisome one. The Tigers were coming off their first Central Division title, and optimism about the upcoming season was easy to find. But when you take one of the best batters out of the middle of the lineup, there's a big..." February 14

Detroit Free Press "Free Press special writer Jon Machota breaks down five players to watch in Lakeland: Victor Martinez A torn anterior cruciate ligament in Martinez's left knee forced the switch-hitter to miss last season. The 34-year-old DH is expected to bat fifth and protect Prince Fielder. The Tigers were..." February 10

Detroit News "Yes, Victor Martinez is swinging a bat. Impressively, in fact. "It doesn't look like he's lost anything," Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon said. "I see a lot of zip, a lot of pop in his swing." Is he running the bases? Yes. With no pain. "That was the last hurdle," Tigers..." February 09

Detroit News "Once they determined last summer that, no, Victor Martinez would not play for the Tigers in 2012, strategies shifted. The focus became 2013. A slower, steadier rehabilitation program began, designed to heal a switch-hitter's left knee that had been shredded during a workout last..." January 11

Detroit News "Fans could be excused for sometimes forgetting about Victor Martinez, so long ago was it that Martinez last swung a bat in a Tigers game. It has been 13 months, a long time in baseball, and longer yet for a man who turns 34 in seven weeks and whose baseball career is at least approaching early..." November 05

Detroit News "The time that was running out on Victor Martinez has run out. He definitely won't play for the Tigers this season — or in the postseason if they get there. The Tigers made that announcement on Friday. His left leg where he suffered a torn ACL simply isn't strong enough. "If he tried,"..." August 18

Michigan Live "There's still a chance designated hitter Victor Martinez could return this season. But, it's pretty much a long shot at this point. General manager Dave Dombrowski told reporters Tuesday the Detroit Tigers don't expect Martinez to play before the end of the season. "We're not counting on..." August 01

Detroit News "Victor Martinez won't be playing for the Tigers in August. Martinez probably won't be back for all of September, either. After an MRI on his left knee, the one he hurt in the offseason, the best case for Martinez would be for a mid-to-late September return, Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said..." June 29

Detroit News "Will he be back in August? Will it be September? Or not at all this season? The next step in the recovery from left knee surgery for designated hitter Victor Martinez takes place today when he undergoes an MRI to determine the extent of his progress. This is not, however, an MRI dictated by..." June 28

Detroit News "Fortunately for the Tigers, the best midseason acquisition may not cost any prospects. He wouldn't cost any additional money, either. All he'd cost is time. Victor Martinez is desperately needed back in a lineup that can't score runs with any consistency and a locker room that lacks —..." June 26

Detroit News "He wasn't the man in the middle. Victor Martinez's left knee is steadily improving, but not that much. He is agile enough, however — and felt good enough on his second visit to see his teammates — to have been on the catching end of a rundown game featuring Prince Fielder's two young sons in..." June 06

Detroit News "He would sit in front of his locker and talk softly with one or more of the Tigers players. All of them. The elders, the rookies, they seemed always to stop by, to check in, to seek their moment with that quiet, regal man whose face appeared never to change expression. Victor Martinez was the..." May 16

Detroit Free Press "The Tigers announced today that designated hitter Victor Martinez didn't have reconstructive knee surgery as scheduled last week because his doctor determined it wasn't necessary. Based on a statement issued by the club, it won't be clear until at least July if Martinez will have any chance of..." April 11

MLB.com "While the city was welcoming Prince Fielder back home Thursday for Opening Day, the man whose injury led to Fielder's return was waiting for the next step in his road back. The Tigers were awaiting an update Thursday from doctors on Victor Martinez, who was scheduled to have his second and..." April 05

Detroit News "One surgery down, one to go. Or to put it another way: Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez suffered much more than a torn left ACL two weeks ago when he slipped during a conditioning drill. He suffered so much damage, in fact, the repairs have to be done in two stages. To get a head..." January 31

Detroit News "Victor Martinez's left knee was so damaged, so torn up in his conditioning mishap earlier this month, it is requiring multiple surgeries to repair it. Martinez, the Tigers designated hitter/catcher, underwent microfracture surgery, as well as repairs to both the medial and lateral meniscus in..." January 30

Detroit Free Press "Dave Dombrowski was somber when he spoke to the media Tuesday about Victor Martinez's knee injury. The Tigers general manager had learned the day before that Martinez likely would miss the season. "A sock in the gut," Dombrowski called it. By Friday, Dombrowski had regained his public vigor and..." January 21

Detroit Free Press "The vehicles of the Tigers' caravan will roll from Comerica Park early this afternoon. Vladimir Guerrero won't be in any of them unless something remarkable and unexpected happens at the last minute. But it's still the first minute, not the last minute, in the Tigers' time frame to secure a..." January 19

Detroit News "This time, a Tigers front-office chief known for acting rapidly, and sometimes dramatically, will take his time figuring out how to replace a roster void as immense as the one created by Victor Martinez's wrecked knee. Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday he and the Tigers could wait until deep into..." January 19

Detroit News "How do you replace a .330 hitter such as Victor Martinez? The answer is you don't. Not easily, anyway. But as of Tuesday, when it became known that Martinez might have to sit out the entire 2012 season, the pace of phone calls picked up to Tigers' president and general manager Dave..." January 18

Detroit News "Voices reveal everything. They tell you, for example, if a person is lying. They unveil hope, resignation, resolve, mistrust — you name the emotion or the disposition and a person's voice is a dead giveaway. Dave Dombrowski's voice during a Tuesday conference had the tone of a man who had..." January 18

Detroit Free Press "The Detroit Tigers today 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 will be re-evaluated by Dr. Richard Stedman next week and surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left..." January 17

Detroit News "The Tigers were running out of swings and chances, running low on time. Someone had to do something, preferably with a big bat in his hands. The someones arrived in time and on cue, and did what they do. Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera felt it — the aches, the pressure — and then they..." October 12

Detroit News "If you didn't know better, you'd think Miguel Cabrera was talking about one of his teammates. A veteran utility player, perhaps, or maybe a promising young rookie. "He brings a lot of energy to the clubhouse," Cabrera said, breaking into a big grin as his eyes lit up. "He loves to play the game..." October 10

Detroit Free Press "He wasn't expecting to see it. And no wonder, not when he was behind in the count 0-2 in a tie game in the bottom of the 11th inning. Once he spotted it, though, Victor Martinez didn't have much trouble handling the breaking ball that hung over the plate Friday night at Comerica Park. He..." September 24

Detroit Free Press "Justin Verlander and the Tigers each extended their winning streaks to 11, thanks in large part to a magnificent at-bat by Victor Martinez. With one out in the sixth Tuesday night, White Sox starter Gavin Floyd intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera with first base open. Up came Martinez. He fell..." September 14

Cleveland Plain Dealer "First baseman Shelley Duncan hit not one, but two two-run homers off Justin Verlander in support of Justin Masterson. The Indians still lost. It has been that kind of tumble out of AL Central contention for the Tribe. Former Indian Victor Martinez capped a five-run seventh inning with a..." September 08

Detroit News "Hear that? It's the sound of the countdown clock as the Tigers continue what's become a relentless march. Game by game, series by series, they're getting it done — sometimes with pitching, often with hitting. And occasionally, although it wasn't a vintage Justin Verlander performance in..." September 08

Detroit News "The Tigers continue to benefit from the multiple values of Victor Martinez. For instance, there's the productivity value: Three more RBIs in Tuesday night's 10-1 victory over the Indians. Just as important, there's the leadership value. In fact, one of the big differences in manager Jim..." September 07

Detroit Free Press "For the second time in four years, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta asserted themselves in a big September series between the Tigers and Indians. In mid-September 2007, the Tigers came to Cleveland 4 1/2 games behind the Tribe in the American League Central with two weeks left. In the first..." September 06

Michigan Live "Victor Martinez's balky left knee, sprained on a play at the plate two weeks ago, is improving, but there is no timetable for when he might be available to catch, head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said. That means the Tigers will go with Alex Avila exclusively behind the plate, and Don Kelly as..." August 20