Mets Appear to Dodge Disaster After Star Slugger HBP

The New York Mets look to have evaded a bullet after one of their star sluggers was forced out of Tuesday night's loss following a hit by pitch.

Aug 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) reacts from second on an RBI double in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Crisis seemingly averted.

The New York Mets suffered their fourth loss in a row on Tuesday night, falling to the lowly Oakland Athletics by a score of 9-4; But it could've been much worse.

That's because star designated hitter J.D. Martinez was lifted from the game after his first at-bat after getting plunked on the elbow with an 100 mph fastball from A's starter Joe Boyle.

Luckily, manager Carlos Mendoza shared with reporters after the contest that Martinez's X-Rays came back negative. There are currently no plans to give him any further testing and he is day-to-day for now.

However, Martinez spoke with the media following Mendoza's postgame press conference and revealed that he had no strength in his arm while running the bases, which led to the Mets' decision to pull him out of action after the second inning.

"I'm hoping [I'll be back] tomorrow, but we'll see how it feels," Martinez said.

Martinez's ailment comes with poor timing as the 36-year-old has been in a prolonged slump, which has seen him hit just .225 with a .663 OPS in his last 30 games. He has also produced an anemic .143 average and .546 OPS across his past seven games.

The Mets' offense has also gone through their own fair share of struggles since mid-July, particularly while hitting with runners in scoring position.

Third baseman Mark Vientos has missed the past two games with a sore left ankle as well.

New York is 1.5 games back of the NL East rival Atlanta Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. They now hold a record of 61-58 and have lost seven of their last 10 games.