Victor Martinez injury update: Knee injury 'really scared' Tigers slugger

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Tigers slugger Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez felt a pop in his left knee and feared the worst.

The Tigers slugger had been playing catch with his brother in Orlando in late January when he felt something in his knee. He immediately flashed to the knee injury that cost him the entire 2012 season.

"I was really scared, I'm not gonna lie," Martinez told reporters Tuesday, via the Detroit Free Press. "I had a lot of stuff going on in my head, a lot of thinking."

Thankfully for Martinez and the Tigers, this injury was nowhere near as serious. He still had to undergo surgery last month, but the prognosis was he would be sidelined only four to six weeks. That should put Martinez on track to be in the lineup opening day, and he has every expectation that will happen.

He has begun hitting drills at spring training, taking soft toss and hitting off a tee, and will gradually ramp up baseball activities as his rehab continues. But he can take solace in the knowledge that this injury wasn't nearly as bad as he initially thought.

"My only worry was that hopefully I didn't get an injury that cost me another year," he said. "That was my main worry. I just want to be healthy and part of this great ride, because this is going to be a great ride. We still have great talent and I just want to be a part of it."

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Marc Lancaster is a senior editor at The Sporting News