J.D. Martinez to join minor league affiliate as soon as Friday, Sunday Mets debut unlikely

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza offered an update on J.D. Martinez prior to Thursday’s doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, and while the slugger continues to ramp up, a minor league assignment sounds imminent.

This Sunday is technically the first day that the 36-year-old can join the Mets, but Mendoza said the following series against the Atlanta Braves seems much more likely.

“We’re getting close. We’ve got to make a decision, because he’s getting close to joining one of our affiliates in the minor leagues, whether that’s Syracuse, Binghamton, or Port St. Lucie, and that could come as soon as tomorrow, So, we’ve still got to talk to him and go from there,” Mendoza said.

“I don’t anticipate Sunday, which is his first day that he is able to come up, to be that day. Hopefully it’s in Atlanta, but still fluid. The biggest thing is we’ve got to get him to join one of our affiliates, and that could happen as soon as tomorrow.”

Martinez, signed by the Mets on March 23, has been hitting at the club’s facility in Port St. Lucie.

“He’s getting a lot of at-bats, he’s feeling good, and now we’ve got to take it to the next step.”