BOSTON – After placing a trusted reliever Chris Martin On the 15-day injured list due to anxiety Wednesday, the Red Sox threw their support behind the veteran right-hander and applauded him for being open about what he’s going through.
Martin, who hasn’t pitched for Boston since May 30, first brought it to the club’s attention last weekend, according to Red Sox director of baseball Craig Breslow.
“He kind of talked about it over the weekend and we obviously made the decision to put him on IL with some anxiety-related symptoms,” Breslow said. “Being respectful of the situation, he felt like it was manifesting in physical ways that were preventing him from competing at the level that he’s used to in terms of fatigue, energy, recovery, sleep and those kinds of things. things.”
In recent years, and across sports, athletes have been increasingly transparent about mental health issues, making it less of a stigma for those who suffer from it. The Red Sox have increased efforts in recent years to help players and team employees struggling with mental health issues.
“I think there are some things that are important to get across,” Breslow said. “I think we should applaud Chris’s willingness to speak out and face this challenge head on. As an organization, we fully support this and have numerous resources here, including a behavioral health program intended to help players and staff deal with situations like this.
Since 2022, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has spoken openly about his mental health struggles both on social media and in interviews. Blaze Jordan, the club Hope #19 according to MLB Pipeline, also revealed his struggles with anxiety in an interview this past offseason.
“As an organization, we have devoted significant time and resources to ensure that we have a best-in-class operation, led by Dr. (Richard) Ginsburg,” Breslow said. “He does a great job. And I hope the relationship he and the rest of the staff have built with our players is part of the reason players like Chris feel comfortable coming forward.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is grateful for the teams’ investment in players’ mental health in relation to his playing career.
“The fact that he was honest about it is very important,” Cora said. “We know that we are in a business or that we live in a society where mental health is very important. We feel the pressure of many things, and sometimes we swallow our pride or our problems and don’t talk about them openly.
Cora related it to the situations he faced as a player.
“I remember playing the game, going 0 out of 4, going to the apartment, turning on the TV at midnight, watching the game and being 0 out again 4. Then in the morning, watch the game again and go 0 out of 4 again,” Cora said. “I feel like in that moment, in that moment, the family suffered. It suffered a lot. As you know, (my daughter) Camila is the daughter of divorced parents. Probably early in my career, I didn’t help my family to be as strong as they should be because there were a lot of demons, a lot of things going on between the lines, in the club- house and outside of baseball.
According to Breslow, Martin felt some progress in recent days, but both sides felt it made sense to give him a little more time.
This decision was made retroactive to June 2 and Martin can first be activated on June 17.
“Right now the plan is for him to stay on (the team),” Breslow said. “The plan is to give him some leeway on this. It’s a situation where he feels like he’s close (ready to throw), he’s still interested in the physical activity he’s going to prepare for to be ready when he’s ready and not in the type of situation where he feels like he needs to do it. walk away immediately or indefinitely.
“But these are delicate things. I’m not a medical expert and I don’t think it would be fair for me to predict exactly how this will play out, other than saying he’s comfortable talking about it. He told us about it. He feels that even in a short time, he has made significant progress.
