Boston's J.D. Martinez leaves game with left ankle sprain

J.D. Martinez left Sunday’s game after suffering what the Red Sox termed as a left ankle sprain. The injury was suffered in bizarre fashion, as Martinez stumbled over second base while making his way out to right field to begin the bottom of the fifth inning. Martinez played the half-inning, but was then replaced by pinch-hitter Jose Iglesias in the top of the sixth.

While normally a DH in the Red Sox lineup, Martinez has continued to see his share of time in the field, with Sunday marking his 36th game of the season as an outfielder. The Sox had no choice but to deploy Martinez in right field considering Sunday's game was in Washington, and the DH spot wasn’t available under National League rules as a result.

The severity of Martinez’s injury remains to be seen, but should the slugger be limited in any way during at least the next few days, it certainly won’t help Boston’s chances of reaching the postseason, pending Sunday’s results (or the results of a potential Game 163 playoff to determine an AL wild-card berth). After a rough 2020 season, Martinez has bounced back with a solid performance this year, hitting .286/.349/.518 with 28 homers and a league-best 42 doubles over 632 plate appearances.