Martinez day to day after HBP on 99.6 mph fastball

NEW YORK -- Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez left Tuesday’s 9-4 loss to the Athletics in the bottom of the third inning with a left elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch thrown by right-hander Joe Boyle earlier in the game. The slugger is listed as day to day.

With one out in the second inning and the count 2-2, Martinez was hit in the elbow by a 99.6 mph fastball. He jogged near the A’s dugout in pain, but remained in the game until the third, when Mark Vientos replaced him as a pinch hitter.

At first, Martinez thought he was going to be OK once he advanced to second base on a walk by Jeff McNeil. But Martinez felt the pain again as he scored on a single by Jose Iglesias, prompting the decision to lift him from the game.

"I just know it was really swollen and hurt a lot. But I didn’t think anything was broken,” Martinez said. “It’s pretty much no strength. That’s what it feels like. I can’t squeeze my hand. It hit that little nerve there."

Martinez wasn’t wearing an arm guard when he was hit by the pitch. In fact, he has never worn one during his career.

"[The team asked], ‘you don’t wear an elbow guard?’ I’ve never worn one. I never got hit there before. I got hit in the triceps, in the shoulder, but it was like a heat-seeking missile kept coming at me. I’m going to try wearing [an elbow guard] tomorrow, but we’ll see,” he said.

Entering the game, Martinez was hitting .257 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs.