Martínez (shoulder contusion) exits after collision before DeLauter (wrist sprain) departs, as well
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CLEVELAND -- The sight of Angel Martínez and Brayan Rocchio each laying face down in shallow left field after colliding with one another in pursuit of a flyball immediately brought Guardians manager Stephen Vogt jogging out of the third-base dugout at Progressive Field.
The scary scene ultimately forced Martínez to exit Game 2 of the Guardians’ doubleheader against the Tigers on Friday, and came just a few hours after Rocchio belted a grand slam and a walk-off solo homer in Game 1.
The Guardians later said Martínez exited as a precaution due to a left shoulder contusion. The news sounded less encouraging on star rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter, who exited with a right wrist sprain.
It was not immediately clear when DeLauter suffered his injury. Travis Bazzana pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning, after initially stepping on-deck to do so in the fifth. That came almost immediately after the scary collision between Martínez and Rocchio.
With two outs in the fourth inning Friday night, Tigers right fielder Zach McKinstry hit a flare to shallow left field. Rocchio began to jog back in pursuit of the ball as Martínez hustled forward. After Rocchio got to the spot, he extended his right arm outward toward Martínez and appeared to call for the ball.
Martínez tried to pull up but lost his footing. His feet slid forward and collided with Rocchio before they came out from underneath him. Both players hit the ground hard; Martínez landed flat on his back and Rocchio on his right side. They stayed immobile for several moments while Vogt and trainers Jeff Desjardins and Chad Wolfe made their way to the outfield.
Martínez was due up second in the bottom of the fourth and remained in the game for his at-bat, when he was called out on strikes. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe entered in his place in the lineup in the top of the fifth, while starting first baseman David Fry moved to left field.
In 98 games this season, Martínez has a .245/.283/.434 slash line with 18 doubles and a career-high 14 home runs. He previously spent about one month on the 10-day injured list with a non-displaced left foot fracture, from June 16 to July 24.