Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martinez is set to undergo an MRI after an early injury exit on Saturday.
Angel Martnez has been one of the Cleveland Guardians’ best surprises so far during the 2026 season. That’s why fear immediately snuck in on Saturday afternoon as the outfielder exited Cleveland’s contest against the Boston Red Sox.
Martinez started the game in left field, but Stuart Fairchild took over for him in the sixth inning, making his Guardians debut.
Cleveland later shared that Martinez was removed with what the team is calling left foot inflammation, and manager Stephen Vogt gave a little more detail on the injury after the game.
He's getting an MRI. It’s a left foot strain, I think we're calling it, ot inflammation right now until we get more information. But yeah, he's going for an MRI this afternoon, so we'll have more information tomorrow,” explained Cleveland’s skipper.
This actually isn’t a new injury for Martinez; it’s something he’s been dealing with and playing through over the last couple of games, but it came to a head on Saturday.
“He did it a couple days ago on a play, and he's been kind of, obviously, playing through it,” continued Cleveland’s skipper.
“Today on one of the flyballs he was running for, he felt it just kind of light up even more. So we took him out, out of precaution, and now we're going to get a scan of it just to, to see exactly what it is.”
May 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Angel Martinez (1) walks to the dugout during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn ImagesMartinez is in the middle of a breakout season with the Guardians. He owns a .243/.281/.449 slash line on the season, and his nine home runs currently lead the team.
Cleveland has loved the versatility the switch-hitter has brought to the plate, and just on Friday night, Martinez showed off the work and development he’s been able to do on the defensive side, too.
However, over the last seven games, Martinez has just a .360 OPS with seven strikeouts. He’s also been chasing at a considerably higher rate compared to his season stats. Perhaps the pain he’s been feeling in his foot has caused Martinez to fall back into some old habits as he fights through it.
Just like any player, hopefully, this isn’t an injury that keeps Martinez sidelined longer than it needs to be. The 24-year-old continues to prove how important to the success the Guardians have had so far this season.
At this point, it’s just a wait-and-see about what exactly the injury is, and what it means for how much time Martinez may miss with it.
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