Tigers’ J.D. Martinez suffers fractured elbow crashing into wall

The Detroit Tigers may be without a key contributor for a considerable period of time. J.D. Martinez crashed into the right-field wall as he chased a fly ball Thursday night in Kansas City, causing him to leave the game in the second inning.

Martinez immediately underwent an X-ray, which revealed a non-displaced fracture in his right elbow. He’ll have a have a CT scan Friday to confirm the diagnosis and determine the severity of the injury. After Martinez departed the Tigers were forced to play both Mike Aviles and Andrew Romine, two players with much more experience in the infield.

A stint on the disabled list appears likely. Earlier this season Tigers outfielder Cameron Maybin was sidelined for over five weeks while recovering from a similar fracture in his wrist.

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Hitting .286/.358/.520 with 12 home runs in 65 games, Martinez has established himself as one of the more productive corner outfielders in the majors over the last few years. His absence from the lineup, even one with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, will be felt and the Tigers can only hope he won’t be out too long as they attempt to keep pace with the Royals and Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr