Victor Martinez May Be Done for the 2012 Season Before it Begins

Spring training is more than a month away yet for most baseball players, but the Detroit Tigers’ Victor Martinez may be finished before that even gets started.  Martinez tore his left ACL while working on off season conditioning.  While the extent of the injury is still being evaluated, the Tigers expect Martinez will need surgery on the knee, essentially shutting him down for the year, or at least until very late in the season.

Last year, Martinez was a key part of Detroit’s offense on the Tigers’ American League Central Division winning team.  He hit .330, fourth best in the league, with 12 home runs and 103 RBIs.  The Tigers have some time to shop around, but that’s a lot of run production to replace.

Martinez isn’t the only down for a while.  Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford underwent surgery on his left wrist January 17th and is likely to miss Opening Day.  Crawford has been bothered by the wrist for sometime, and it got worse as he did some off season hitting practice.  Although Crawford is likely out for Opening Day, he should be able to do some workouts during Spring Training and should be ready to go early in the season.  Crawford no doubt is eager to atone for last year’s abysmal season, his first with the Red Sox and the first year of a seven year $142 million contract.

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Tags: baseball, boston red sox, carl, detroit tigers, victor