KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Detroit Tigers may be a better team this season without J.D. Martinez.
That seems preposterous, given that he was batting .305 with 16 home runs and 39 RBI in 57 games before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three infield prospects Tuesday.
But Martinez ranked as one of the worst defensive right fielders in baseball this season. According to FanGraphs, Martinez has a defensive runs above average value of minus-7.2. The only full-time right fielders rated worse in baseball are Hunter Renfroe of the Padres (minus-10.8) and Nick Markakis of the Braves (minus-10.7).
“We’re definitely going to miss the bat,” said Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus. “You’re not going to replace the bat. Now you can get a left-handed bat in the lineup but let’s be honest, J.D.’s right-handed bat against a righty is better than most left-handed bats against a righty. In that sense you’re not going to replace the offense.
“We probably will cover a little bit more ground in right field, but the offense won’t be replaced.”
Ausmus said the foot injury Martinez suffered to begin the season hampered him. “I thought the foot affected him this year for sure,” Ausmus said.
Andrew Romine got the start in right field Thursday against lefty Danny Duffy. Romine entered the game 0 for 3 lifetime against Duffy.
“Romine hasn’t played in a while,” Ausmus said, adding that Duffy was a “tough lefty.”
The Tigers started Jim Adduci in right in Wednesday’s 4-3 setback.
MARLINS-MARINERS: Miami traded right-hander David Phelps to Seattle for four prospects, including a highly regarded outfielder, Brayan Hernandez.
Also going to the Marlins are right-handed pitching prospects Pablo Lopez, Brandon Miller, and Lukas Schiraldi.
Phelps is 2-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 44 games and 47 innings this season, all out of the bullpen. He’s a six-year veteran with 64 career starts.
Hernandez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan, is batting .259 in 31 games in the minors this year. He’ll be assigned to short-season Class A Batavia.
The Mariners shored up their bullpen at the start of a 10-game homestand that begins against the New York Yankees and leads into the trade deadline.
After a 5-1 trip following the All-Star break, the Mariners are 48-48 and just behind the Yankees in the AL wild-card standings.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.