Angel MartinezSS | Guardians

Guardians' Angel Martinez: Exiting starting nine ThursdayAugust 01, 2024 | 12:53 PM

Martinez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles. He'll head to the bench for the first time since his July 4 call-up from Triple-A Columbus, ending a stretch of 23 straight starts in which he's slashed .230/.306/.368 with two home runs and two stolen bases. Martinez has largely served as the Guardians' primary center fielder and No. 2 hitter during that stretch, but he was dropped to fifth in the lineup in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Tigers. With Martinez having now gone 4-for-25 with seven strikeouts over his last six starts, it's possible that he could slip further down the batting order if he's unable to right the ship soon.