Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez was removed from Thursday’s game against the Royals due to a nagging back issue. In his two at-bats in the win over Kansas City Martinez went 1-2 with a double and a run scored. He would officially be pulled in the 5th inning and replaced with Sam Travis.
It would be revealed that J.D. began feeling discomfort in his back while running the bases during a Rafael Devers RBI single. This isn’t the first time that Martinez has dealt with back spasms this season as he missed some time in both April and May due to similar issues.