Tigers' Victor Martinez leaves game with 'mild' left hamstring strain

Victor Martinez left the Tigers' game Monday after injuring his left hamstring, the team announced shortly after he hobbled off the field. The Tigers deemed it a "mild" strain. While not ideal, this seems like a lot better announcement than we otherwise could have heard.

He was seen grabbing his leg near his left knee after arriving at first base on a single against the Mets.

Martinez's left knee has been an issue for many years now. He underwent surgery to repair his ACL in 2012 and injured it again last winter. Martinez required surgery then, too, but with a shorter recovery time was able to return to working out with the team shortly after the start of spring training.

He played in just 120 games last year and hit .245/.301/.366, struggling most when he attempted to bat left-handed. He hit just .219 with a .606 OPS as a lefty. The 37-year-old may have returned too soon, however, and hit the disabled list for a month, returning to action on June 19. His second half numbers were even worse than his first.

Martinez is projected to bat fourth for the Tigers this year, giving a heavily right-handed lineup a little flexibility in the middle. He is still owed $54 million and remains under contract through 2018.

Additional injury news

The Detroit News reported that Anibal Sanchez threw a simulated game last Friday that included 30 pitches. Sanchez was diagnosed with lower triceps inflammation and has also been fighting off bronchitis, but both issues appear to be moving in the right direction. The Tigers are taking a cautious approach with his return to action, but by all indications, Friday was a positive step forward. Sanchez is on schedule to pitch again on Wednesday, five days after his simulated game last week.

Alex Wilson is also making progress, as he recovers from soreness in his right shoulder. The right-handed reliever had been struggling with his injury, but was able to throw for the first time in a couple of weeks on Saturday. He reportedly will attempt to throw again on Wednesday from 120 feet, an increase from his 90-feet tosses over the weekend. Wilson ended the 2015 season with bicep tendinitis, likely a result of a career high in number of innings pitched.

The Tigers finally saw Francisco Rodriguez in action, as he made his spring debut on Saturday. K-Rod's arrival was delayed due to issues with his visa, so it was a relief to see his first outing with the team. Unfortunately, a report surfaced on Monday morning that Rodriguez awoke with a swollen finger on his pitching hand. He was schedule to receive treatment sometime today. Rodriguez was scheduled to pitch tomorrow, but his status is currently up in the air.