TORONTO -- Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin was held out of Friday night's series opener vs. Boston because of a sore left knee.
The knee had been bothering Martin for the past couple of weeks, but it became more problematic during Wednesday's series finale against the Yankees. Toronto had to pinch-hit for Martin in the ninth inning after he was seen noticeably limping earlier in the game.
The decision to rest Martin for at least another day was a relatively easy one to make, especially considering the Blue Jays had backup Dioner Navarro to work with starter Marco Estrada. Navarro was Estrada's personal catcher in 2015, and the veteran backstop recently rejoined the Blue Jays via a trade with the White Sox.
"[Martin is] still pretty sore," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Friday afternoon. "We'll see. We'll just check each day. It kind of works. With a day game [Saturday after a] night game, [Boston] righty [Rick Porcello] going tonight, lefty [Eduardo Rodriguez] going tomorrow. We'll see. We'll see if [Martin is] ready tomorrow."
Martin is considered questionable for Saturday afternoon's game against the Red Sox. The injury causes more pain for him as a hitter than it does behind of the plate because of the twisting motion that comes with swinging a bat, so putting Martin at designated hitter does not appear to be an option.
Navarro also caught Estrada's most recent start against the Rays, when the veteran righty allowed five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks over five-plus innings. Navarro entered play on Friday with three hits in 14 at-bats during six games for the Blue Jays this season.