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Indians President Chris Antonetti addressed the media this afternoon regarding missing-in-action outfielder Leonys Martin.
In a statement released to the media, via TJ Zuppe of The Athletic, Antonetti relayed the scary details of the ordeal Martin is currently going through and the care he’s received at the Cleveland Clinic:
Leonys is currently in stable condition. He continues to get treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. We’re optimistic that he’ll have a full recovery. To give you a little backstory of how we got to this point, Leonys had a bacterial infection that entered his blood stream. When it entered his blood stream, it produced toxins. Those toxins did damage to his internal organs. The functioning of those organs was compromised. It was severe. He’s now in the process – thankfully he’s made a lot of progress in the last 24 to 36 hours. He’s regained a lot of organ function. We’re optimistic. He’s on a good path right now and we’re hopeful that he’ll have a full recovery. But he’s got a long path to get back to full health in front of him. It’s going to take him some time. But were ‘in a much better spot today than we were 24 or 36 hours ago.
The care that he got at the Cleveland Clinic was extraordinary. The team of caregivers from the doctors to the nurses to the specialists to everybody who facilitated his care was truly extraordinary. Without their herculean effort, we may be in a different spot today than we are. So I’d like to extend our gratitude to them.
Martin has been sidelined since August 7 with what first called “intestinal turmoil” by manager Terry Francona and eventually led to his hospitalization and current state.
According to Antonetti, Martin is slowly recovering, from not being able to communicate to sitting up in a chair. A huge turnaround in 36 hours:
Things were looking dire, but Martin's condition has improved over the last couple of days. He's now able to communicate and was able to get up and sit in a chair for a few hours yesterday.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) August 13, 2018
Antonetti: "Progress will be measured in weeks, not days."
It’s unlikely we’ll see Martin in an Indians uniform again this season, and at this point that’s perfectly okay. I think I speak for everyone when I say we just want him to see him healthy.