McAdam: For the long run, Red Sox best to limit outfield time for Martinez

DETROIT – With J.D. Martinez on the bench for the night, the Red Sox offense was punchless at Comerica Park, failing to collect even a single extra-base hit while suffering a 5-0 shutout loss to the lowly Detroit Tigers.

All of which is not to suggest that the outcome would have been any different had Martinez been in the lineup. As formidable a hitter as Martinez is, it's doubtful that he could have singlehandedly made up enough to turn a loss into a win.

But that's not the point here.

Martinez was out of the lineup because he had an unannounced encounter with the right field wall at Comerica Park Friday night. Racing into the gap to chase after a ball hit by Detroit's JaCoby Jones, Martinez made the catch – a millisecond before he led with his face, bouncing into the padding that protects the wall, but doesn't offer nearly as much protection to the outfielders.

Manager Alex Cora said Martinez was "just a little bit sore...he wasn't feeling great after the game (Friday), so I decided to give him today.''

That was the smart play, with Cora taking a look at the big picture and realizing it wasn't necessary to push Martinez on a day in which he didn't feel great. There's nearly 10 more weeks in the season and another 62 games to play, and if the first half of the schedule demonstrated anything, it's the importance that Martinez has to the team in general and the offense in particular.

Consider that when Martinez homers in a game this season, the Red Sox are an astounding 25-3.

That's how vital he is to the lineup.

Which is all the more reason that the Red Sox need to protect him. Sure, injuries can happen at any time, but Martinez has a history of running into physical issues – to say nothing of walls – when he's in the outfield.

When he was with the Tigers, he has an instep/foot issue that was the result of playing the outfield. And on the occasions his back spasms have kicked in this season, it's come after some time in the outfield.

Martinez, as we know, enjoys playing the outfield, and doesn't want to be regarded as a full-time DH.

"He likes playing the field,'' said Cora. "I take that into consideration.''

But given his value to the team, the Sox need to be careful with how often he plays the field. If he pulls a hamstring or suffers a more serious injury while in the outfield, he won't be available to do what he does best -- namely, damage at the plate.

It's not as if the Red Sox will be depriving themselves of a strong defender. A host of defensive metrics suggests that Martinez is well-below average. And even if the "eye test'' suggests that Martinez has been closer to adequate, he's clearly the least capable defender among the four Red Sox outfielder.

The Sox are better, as a team, with Andrew Benintendi in left, Jackie Bradley Jr. in center and Mookie Betts in right. As the old joke goes, Martinez's best position is the batter's box.

Martinez has started exactly 40 percent of the team's games in the outfield, and Cora hinted before Saturday's loss that he'll continue to have him in the outfield when the Sox face a lefty. That allows Steve Pearce, who crushes lefties, to get into the lineup.

But the Sox can accomplish that by having Pearce play first, Mitch Moreland on the bench and Martinez as the DH.

That may not be what Martinez necessarily wants, but that should be secondary.

If the Sox want to put their best team on the field, that lineup includes Martinez as the DH. And defense aside, the fewer times he's risking injury, the better the Red Sox will be.