Indians catcher Martinez out with bruised left knee against Yankees

Indians’ Martinez out with bruised knee

CLEVELAND — Indians catcher Victor Martinez did not start against the New York Yankees because of a bruised left knee and was not expected to play Sunday.

The Indians also place All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow and called up utilityman Chris Gimenez to serve as a backup catcher to Kelly Shoppach.

Martinez fouled a ball off his knee in the first inning Saturday night. He tried to continue, but could not run more than a few feet after grounding to second base to complete the at-bat.

X-rays were negative and Martinez, batting .350 with seven homers and 36 RBIs, said he hopes to be able to play soon.

“It’s very sore and I can’t play today, but it feels much better than I thought it would,” Martinez said. “When it happened, I was in so much pain.

“I put a lot of ice on it overnight and did a little workout in the training pool this morning. It feels a lot better. Not good, but better.”

Martinez fouled off a pitch from former teammate CC Sabathia and rolled around face down in agony Saturday night. He told manager Eric Wedge that he wanted to stay in the game, but needed assistance to get down the dugout steps after grounding out.

Martinez has been splitting time between catcher and first base this season. A year ago, Shoppach got increased playing time and led all AL catchers with 21 homers when he took for Martinez, who missed more than two months recovering from right elbow surgery.