J.D. Martinez not ready to join Mets for series against rival Braves
NY Post
CINCINNATI — The Mets will not have J.D. Martinez’s bat in Atlanta.
The late-spring signing officially was eligible to join the Mets for the first time on Sunday, and there was some hope he could slide into the lineup for a series against the rival Braves that begins Monday, but the designated hitter will need more time to get his body and bat into game shape.
Martinez, who had joined the Low-A St. Lucie on Friday, played two games at DH and went 1-for-8 with two walks and no strikeouts.
More importantly, Martinez is experiencing “overall body soreness,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, the kind “that every player goes through” early in spring training.
The Mets officially signed Martinez on March 23 after a prolonged free agency.
The past few weeks have been “a quick ramp-up,” Mendoza said, and the ramp will lengthen.
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