The Red Sox placed J.D. Martinez on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday morning, after he was not feeling well.
“He felt sick last night,” said manager Alex Cora Saturday morning. “He’s been feeling sick the whole day. He’s going to go through testing.”
Martinez will join Jarren Duran on the COVID IL, as Duran was sent to the IL yesterday after feeling similarly ill. Both are awaiting virus test results. Because of that, catcher Connor Wong will be recalled from Triple-A Worcester, and Tanner Houck will be the 27th man of the doubleheader as planned. Houck is scheduled to start Game 2. Infielder Jonathan Arauz, who ended up pitching last night, remains on the roster since Duran hasn’t been removed from the IL.
“(Duran) is not feeling great either,” Cora said.
Martinez had similar symptoms early in the year, but it turned out to be just flu symptoms as he tested negative for the virus and had a three-homer game in his return.
“I’m always concerned,” Cora remarked. “It’s something we’ve been talking about from the get-go. I hate to say it but it is what it is — this is where we’re at. And obviously there’s guidelines, protocols and there’s the human element. We have to take care of not only those players but the rest of the players. We’re about to go home tomorrow. We’re going back to our families. So I think it’s the right thing to do. Just make sure these guys are okay.”