Victor Martinez said hello to an old friend Monday afternoon. The old friend was Progressive Field.
If there was some nostalgia, there was no hard feelings from Victor Martinez on Monday, who returned for the first time to Progressive Field -- with his son, Victor -- since last summer's trade to the Red Sox.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Victor Martinez returned to Progressive Field on Monday, but it felt strange.
He walked through a different door to the ballpark and dressed in a different clubhouse. He was back home, but not really.
The Indians traded Martinez to Boston last July 31 after he spent over 13 seasons in the organization. He had tears in his eyes the day he was traded for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. So did his son, Victor.
On Monday afternoon Martinez was smiling, holding his son in his lap.
"I have some real feelings coming back here," said Martinez. "It's tough."
He walked to the Indians' dugout and shook hands with some former teammates. Many of his old friends were no longer there, traded over two years of fire sales that have turned the Indians from a contender into a doormat.
"It was good to see all the guys and shake hands with them," said Martinez. "To be honest, I've been looking forward to seeing everyone I know here. I was here for a long time."
This really was a trip back in time for Martinez. He spent Monday with Bob and Patty Bixler.
"They were my host family in my first year with the Indians when I came to the United States and played in Mahoning Valley," said Martinez. "It's about an hour drive from here. I consider them to be part of my family."
Martinez and the Indians made it to Game 7 of the ALCS in 2007. They blew a 3-1 lead against Boston. The current roster has been stripped of most of the talent that made that run possible.
"You go back to 2007, that team that we had," said Martinez, "two or three years later there's pretty much nobody left. It's pretty tough to believe, but that's the way it is."
Martinez entered Monday's game hitting .294 (55-for-187) with 15 doubles, eight homers and 29 RBI. He received a polite round of applause in the first inning before hitting into a force play. He started the fourth with a double.
"I'm thankful they sent me to one of the greatest teams in baseball," said Martinez, who had two hits and an RBI in Boston's 4-1 victory Monday. "The Red Sox are always a contender. They play in front of a full house every night. What more could you want?"
Martinez said he just sold his house in the Cleveland area and purchased one in Orlando, Fla.
Down the road: Manny Acta sees Matt LaPorta's future at first base. His immediate future, however, will be playing left field and first base for Class AAA Columbus.
The Indians optioned LaPorta to Columbus on Monday to clear a spot for infielder Andy Marte, who came off the disabled list. Marte said he was "sick" and needed surgery, but would not go into details about his illness. Marte, reportedly, needed treatment for an ingrown hair on his abdomen that became infected.
"We just don't think there are enough at-bats up here for LaPorta right now," said Acta. "With the way Austin Kearns has swung the bat, and the way we've stretched out Russell Branyan to play about five games a week at first base, it's not fair to the kid."
Which brings us back to where this season started. If the Indians are rebuilding, shouldn't LaPorta be playing every day in the big league despite the presence of Kearns and Branyan?
That's what they said when season opened. They said LaPorta belonged in the big leagues because he was at the stage of his career where he had to play here. LaPorta went sent to Columbus hitting .218 (26-for-119) with four doubles, one home run and seven RBI in 35 games.
"Everybody wants to develop and win at the same time," said Acta. "We did give him an opportunity at the beginning, but right now it's just not fair to him. Whether you're developing or not, you still want to put the best team out on the field with the roster you have at hand."
Finally: Mark Grudzielanek didn't start Monday after straining his right hamstring Sunday against the White Sox.