Victor Martinez tore his ACL while doing offseason conditioning earlier this month, which put his 2012 in jeopardy. As far as player injuries go, the ACL is a rough one because of the recovery period. But if there's one thing that's even scarier than an ACL tear, it's a knee that requires microfracture surgery. Unfortunately, Martinez has both:
The Detroit Tigers today announced that Victor Martinez underwent microfracture surgery and repairs to both the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee Friday.
Microfracture surgery is a relatively new procedure that carries an ominous stigma in basketball, but the effects are lesser known in baseball. Grady Sizemore had the procedure during the 2010 season, and while he's missed a lot of time since he returned, most of that has been because of problems with his other knee.
Though it's far too early to speculate on when Martinez will return, it's probably pretty safe to assume that he's caught his last game. And if you're thinking that the Tigers will just trade him when he returns to solve their roster logjam, this injury will almost certainly hurt any chances of that happening. Martinez is still owed $25 million after this coming season.