Alex Cora Offers Discouraging Update On J.D. Martinez After Red Sox’s Loss

J.D. Martinez was scratched from Friday’s Red Sox-White Sox game with just minutes to spare, with multiple Red Sox reporters noting the star was suffering from back spasms. But due to the timing of the announcement, we had to wait three hours and 48 minutes to get any clarity on his status from Boston manager Alex Cora.

When Cora finally provided an update via Zoom following the 4-3 loss, it wasn’t particularly encouraging.

“Throughout BP he was telling me he didn’t feel right,” Cora said. “He was trying to see if it will get loose but it didn’t. We have to play smart. We stayed away from him today. Let’s see how he feels (Saturday.) There’s a good chance we’ll stay away from him tomorrow, too.”

Martinez’s presence was missed Friday as the lineup stalled through the first half of the game and couldn’t complete the comeback.

He originally was slated to serve as the designated hitter and hit third. In his place, Kyle Schwarber came out of left field to be the extra batter. Danny Santana took over for Schwarber in the grass.