Dodgers Manager Joe Torre: Russell Martin is not expected back this season

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If there was no official medical update on catcher Russell Martin, nonetheless there was bad news.

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said Martin’s hip injury has likely ended his season and the greater concern is whether he’ll ever play again.

‘It looks like it’s going to be the rest of the year,’ Torre said. ‘Right now I’m more concerned with him getting back to full health and be able to do this again.’

Martin suffered a right hip labral tear Tuesday, and unless he needs surgery, will be on crutches at least three weeks.

Team trainer Stan Conte said a CT scan taken Thursday showed that when the labral tore it also fractured the right hip socket.

The Dodgers were still consulting with hip specialists and had yet to determine if the injury would require surgery. Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez had surgery on hip labral tears, but theirs were degenerative and not traumatic like Martin’s.

The Dodgers are unaware of a ballplayer who tore his labral from trauma like Martin, who landed hard and awkwardly on his right leg after crossing the plate.

Torre said simply being on crutches three weeks would take him to the first of September, and then he would have to go through rehabilitation.

‘For us to count on him the rest of the season is being optimistic,’ Torre said. ‘I hope to hell we get to postseason play and they say, ‘Here’s a player for you.’

‘But if you’re on crutches until September pretty much, I think it’s asking a lot to have a guy ready. Especially catching. I think that’s reaching.’’

-- Steve Dilbeck